One Piece: Pluto
by Kiwigami
Summary: A master in his craft of assassination, Pluto is a mysterious young boy who has broken a taboo. His grave sin has made him a target by the World Government. Knowing the dark secrets of the world and having seen nothing but war, corruption, and hostility, he has been raised to be a cold-blooded killer, a human weapon for the sake of his own protection.
1. Chapter 1 - Pluto, The Assassin

The stream of time flowed at an interminable rush, more merciless than ever before. Whether it was an hour ago or a few minutes ago, he did not care. What mattered to him was the present as his past roamed closer in his own haunted shadow. Not so long ago, he witnessed his own home, the household of a wealthy family where he was raised, engulfed within a scorching blob of flames that turned the blind, dead night into a bright, living hell. The lust for blood, his blood, led the gloomy atmosphere to choke on its own smoky air, yet thankfully, not a single drop of acrid blood had been spilled so far. However, this was not over; it was merely the beginning, a beginning of a new era in his life where he must leave his own home island. He had committed no crimes, nor was he exiled; what led to his takeoff was far worse and tragic. Abased as a homeless runaway, he was forced to abandon his entire way of life and decamp from the Holy Remunun Empire.

What led to this very predicament happened so fast yet so slow over the course of his intricate life. Fear, confusion, and excitement prickled within his throbbing heart altogether, but he was so grateful that he wasn't alone. However, deep down in the corner of his distressed mind, he knew that his gratefulness was also his greatest fear. The more he cared for someone, the more painful it was to lose that person. For years, he rejected his emotions, suppressing it in a cold-blooded cage, yet here he was, carrying her in his aching arms.

In his arms, a younger girl remained motionless in an unconscious state of mind; he never even had a chance to confirm if she was still alive. Comparing himself to his little sister, he realized something after glancing at his mental flashbacks. Rebecca was lucky either way; not only was she saved by the black angel twice, she never had to witness the horrors, at least not entirely. In both cases that she was saved, she remained asleep, comfortably in the arms of her older brother. It made him wonder if she was even aware of his demonic appearance.

A freak, a monster, that was what he looked like if the night wasn't shrouding him with a blanket of darkness. As he crossed over the ocean, he did not look back, only straight ahead with his violet eyes giving off a mysterious glow. The sea down below reflected the small diminishing light from his crumbling, searing home as darkness grew thicker like a black fog the further he flew towards the invisible horizon. Not a single twinkling star winked at him as they all hid behind the ominous clouds. Even with his finely-tuned ears, he had never heard of such a dry and dead tone of silence. Only a subtle cool breeze ruffled up his black hair and whistled past his ears.

Not once so far had he considered where he was going; the gravity of his situation led his instincts to give him only one command: GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE! It didn't matter where so long as he was as far away from home as possible. Even after coming this far, escape was still in question.

With this being the longest flight while carrying a human body, his preternatural demon-like black wings gradually grew jaded to the point that he glided more than he flew. Droplets of sweat dribbled down the right side of his cheek, near the ear. His breath grew more audible, and he unknowingly flew closer and closer towards the water at dangerous proximity.

"Heh… so I've finally reached my limit," he smirked in utter defeat. The high-pitched sound that he emitted, undetectable to the human ear, had led him to sense a scope of his physical surroundings with a rapid series of echoes. Echolocation had told him the obvious; there was nowhere to land. Soon, his energy would deplete to zero, and he would plummet into the ocean, sinking into his own grave.

Despite his inevitable doom, he couldn't seem to drop the girl which would lighten to load, letting him fly just a bit longer, but his arms grew stiff and torpid. He didn't care about the girl, definitely not; his own life mattered more. Rescuing her was nothing more than an act of his whim; he simply thought that her dying inside a burning house was unpleasant for his conscience. Though, drowning didn't sound any better than being burned to death, but this way of dying was different. He wanted to be a little selfish too. If he was going to die, he wanted to at least die alongside with her. Of course, it wasn't because he cared for her; he simply didn't want to die alone.

His gleaming violet eyes closed shut for there was no further reason to keep them open. Echoes that he gave and received showed him the truth in the blind night as he could create a mental image of the ocean in front of him. It was an image without color, just shapes and forms that barely changes, here, in the prosaic ocean of the north. Miraculously, his animalistic senses suddenly detected a faint figure up ahead at two o'clock, and it was most definitely solid, floating in the gentle cold sea.

 _Ah, found it!_

Opening his eyes once again, his violet pupils glowed in the dark from the reflection of a dim orange light. He flew towards that very light like a moth attracted towards a candle of hope. However, that faint light suddenly vanished without warning moments later, and everything dusked into blackness once again. Not all was lost to pinpoint its whereabouts because there was more than one way to sense an object for a bat. However, flying at such a low altitude made it difficult to land accurately without skipping right past the target, so with the remaining energy surging through his veins, he mustered up the strength to adjust his wings to swoop up towards the sky at a high angle. Then, he descended with his languid wings flailing in the breeze like a banner, and without a sound, he plummeted straight down while affirming Rebecca's safety by staying beneath the girl before impact.

THUMP!

Ripples of water expanded at surface level after a meager, violent splash was heard. Swaying side to side, he was rocked in a soothing lullaby against a wooden surface as his mind went blank. His curved back reeled his black wings inwards, sucking them in as the rest of his figure morphed back into his regular human self without conscious effort. Left ear pressed against the deck, Pluto lied there on his side while unconsciously holding his sister firmly against his heart with his arms wrapped securely behind her head. All motion was in abeyance except the subtle expansion and contraction from his chest. Silent breaths of fatigue entered and left from his half-opened mouth which were made visible in the chilly atmosphere.

"Haah... Haah...," he panted from exhaustion. This little rowboat held a lamp that had emanated a dim orange light. All of this was set up by him. Long before his escape, he prepared this wooden vessel in advanced.

Half-awake, he was subconsciously aware of his own existence, and the first thing he noticed was the malodorous scent. It smelled like old, rotten wood, and the moisture from the seawater only made it that much worse. Soon, the bicep of his left arm felt numb from her sister's head resting on it. Slowly uprising, he dragged his legs inwards, sitting on his knees with his sister lying on his lap. Beneath his legs, he could feel a large but shallow dent which took form from his crash upon this structure. His eyes squinted in the dark.

"O-Ow…," a sharp pain passed through his spine which made him recall that he landed on his back. During the fall, he remembered that he cautiously curled his head forward to prevent landing on the back of his head.

Glancing straight down at his lap, he directed his attention towards his younger sibling while barely being able to make out the outline of any form. His left hand caressed gently through his sister's silky black hair as he was relieved to hear the girl's gentle breaths which proved she was just as alive as he was.

He was no longer sure which direction his home island was located. Whatever happens next, he could no longer return home; there was no turning back. Even now, he was not completely out of harm's way.

"H-Hm…," the girl slowly opened her eyes where she would be greeted by the darkness of the clouded night sky. "P-Pluto…," she muttered meekly while gazing at a silhouette of a young boy.

"So… you're awake, huh?" he said with a distant tone.

"He-he," she smiled softly.

"What?" he questioned at her slight giggle just now.

"I'm sleeping on your lap," she pointed out the rare instance of getting to be up close to him, and to make things even better, she wasn't the one who initiated this.

"Tch! Don't get used to it," he grumbled.

"Pluto…, did you… save me?"

Gritting his teeth, he tensed his brows at the implication of her question. "O-Of course not! W-Why would I save a deadweight like you?"

"You're lying…," she said with a sweet, happy tone.

"Ugh…, quit sounding so happy. You have no idea how dire our situation is right now!"

"Ha-ha… Pluto acts so tough and heartless, but he's a big softie."

"Y-You…, You don't know anything about me," he said with a forlorn look on his face. They may be siblings, but they were not raised together. He was a year older than her, and he had only learned that he even had a little sister just a year ago. For most of his twelve years of life, he had thought to be an only child, all alone battling against the cruelty of this world, but this girl was somehow different from the atrocities he had witnessed. Pure, innocent, naïve, she was like a delicate little flower in the middle of a battlefield.

For his whole life, he had lived by a pragmatic, cold, calculative mindset. There was only one golden rule that he lived by: put your life above all else. Survive at all costs. It didn't matter who he had to slay or what wicked cruelty he must commit, he cared only for his own life.

And yet, this girl challenged all of that. Here he was, bringing her along after going out of his way to rescue her from the raging fires. It was completely irrational. Even now, he didn't know why he ended up saving her at the risk of his own life.

"I want to know more about you, Pluto," she said endearingly. Her brother had always been a mysterious, secretive type. Without a doubt, he had been keeping secrets from her, but she believed it was all for good reason. For the past year of getting to know him, she would constantly follow him around, hug him, snuggle him, and show as much affection as possible. After all, that was his greatest weakness. He'd dodge her hugs, avoid her, and get all flustered. He was so accustomed to a cruel world that he didn't know how to handle affection.

"No, you don't," he replied quietly. A part of him was afraid of her finding out just what kind of a monster he truly was. He was afraid to taint her, the personification of what's pure and innocent, with his sinful life.

Suddenly, a bright beam of white light shined straight at them from behind.

"!" Turning around, Pluto widened his eyes, spotting a ship in the distance sailing towards them at maximum speed. "There're here…," he muttered.

He gnashed in frustration. This was his last and final chance. He could escape and leave here alive in one piece, or he could stay here and be by her side until the very bitter end.

 _D-Damn it…. What am I thinking!? Why? This is completely illogical! Why would I… feel like this? Why do I want to… protect her? She's useless. She can't fight. She doesn't even know the situation right now. There's absolutely no benefit in keeping her around._

"It's over," a tall, lithe man in a black suit stepped up to the front of the large vessel, wearing a white ghoulish mask to cover his face. "You two are the last surviving members of the family of assassins." There were over a dozen of other men in dark suits standing around him on the main deck.

"CP8," the boy identified them, "also known as Cipher Pol 8." They were members of a secret agency, working directly under the World Government. They moved in the shadows, often tasked with investigations, assassinations, and espionage.

"You know of our existence, boy? I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less from a spy of your caliber."

"Spy?" Rebecca repeated the word that was used to describe her older brother. "What… do they mean?" She looked towards him for answers.

"Ho~? You don't know, little girl? Your big brother here is famous in the Underworld. Just like the rest of his family, he has assassinated countless of targets, but he's best known as The Eavesdropper. As the consumer of the Komu Komu no Mi, his ears have allowed him to gain all sorts of confidential information. And that's where we come in. Your brother knows too much, and we're here to silence him."

"Pluto…, are you a ninja!?" the little sister looked up to her brother, asking in a childish tone.

"…, No… I'm not….," he replied with an annoyed look on his face.

"Leave her out of this!" said the boy in a protective tone. "She has nothing to do with the Underworld. She has committed no crimes!"

"Being blooded related to the likes of you is a crime in itself. We cannot risk her becoming a threat to the World Government," the masked man raised up his hand, gesturing his men to aim their pistols straight at the small wooden boat which carried two mere children. The clicks of their weapons sounded, unlocked for usage.

 _If it were just me, I could probably escape from this situation unscathed. But…, with Rebecca being present, that makes things tricky._

Immediately, the brother pushed the girl off the boat.

"Eh?" Rebecca soon found herself falling straight in the waters. Almost immediately, she heard a series of gunfire. Her heart pounded rapidly, fearing for her brother's safety. She was horrified at the thought of him sacrificing himself to save her.

The wooden boat was now riddled with holes. With demonic black wings sprouting out, Pluto had ascended into the air with the intent to divert their attention away from his sister. With a swift flicker of his arm, he decisively flung out a small knife. Glass shattered. The bright source of light extinguished; everything went pitch black.

"I can't see!" One of the men exclaimed the obvious. Gunshots were fired aimlessly at the night sky. All they could make out was a vague blur of motion as a small winged demon dashed towards their ship with a zigzagging flight pattern.

Rebecca popped her head out of the water to gasp for air. Droplets rained from her face and long silky hair. She squinted at the darkness, unable to make out anything. Her first instinct was to locate her brother, but the sound of cracked bones and grunts of pain drew her attention towards the large vessel.

 _I may be outnumbered, but I have the advantage of the night._

As a hybrid between human and bat, Pluto simply had to rely on his echolocation to replace his eyesight to locate each position of the men on board. Black claws pierced and slashed. Wings generated gusts of wind to render some off balance. Elbows and knees struck heavy blows. Without any hesitance and wasted movements, the young assassin went all out, every strike hitting precisely at vital points. By controlling the wrist, elbow, and shoulder of his opponents, he disarmed some and armed himself with firearms to fire precisely at neighboring agents.

On the deck, the disoriented men could no longer safely use their pistols without the risk of the harming their own comrades. The Zoan-user had brought this to a close-range battle, and with his affinity for the night, he could freely roam around without constraint.

On this very night, fifteen CP8 agents were killed.


	2. Chapter 2 - Are You a Criminal?

**North Blue: Ice Nine**

Strong winds continuously blew from the side as he trudged through the deep layer of pure white snow in the vast landscape that stretches beyond what could be seen. Pine trees were scattered sparsely in the area. Its prickly greenery covered in white; its roots and trunk buried completely beneath the white blanket. The crisp, frigid air carried forth powdery snow. His vision of his surroundings was constantly blurred by a gradient of white and grey; his eyes could never seem to stop squinting even with the hood blocking the top half of his face. The howling and whistling of the blizzard nearly muffled his footsteps entirely. Every breath he takes had manifested in the form of warm puffy steam that would immediately be blown off to the side.

Cladded in a black cloak, Pluto strode across the harsh climate, all while carrying a girl on his back. He slouched forth with each step to counterbalance the weight; his arms wrapped around and gripped tightly on the thick fabric of the blanket. He couldn't stop panting, almost to the point of wheezing, but he never dared stopped to rest. In a battle against time, he hadn't the luxury to care about his own wellbeing, not when both his younger sister was suffering from a terrible fever.

The boy's legs ached, yet the cold weather numbed the discomfort away. He was gradually losing feeling throughout his limbs. His teeth clattered on their own. His sweat seemed to freeze the moment that try to appear. His superhuman stamina and strength that led him this far had already proved that he was no ordinary human, but he was reaching his limits. There was only so much energy he could wield. The only fuel remaining that drove his legs to keep on walking was sheer willpower – the desire to save her. Even if it means sacrificing his own life, he would protect her no matter the cost.

This treacherous blizzard was worse than most islands of North Blue. His tolerance to the cold may be higher than most, but he was being heavily crippled by the bitter, icy temperatures. He had very little clue as to where he was going. The natural thing to do simply seemed to be heading towards the inland of the island. There were no paths or signs to lead him; if there were any, then the snow did a good job covering them up.

In the far distance, he could make out a vague sight of what appeared to be manmade structures that were covered in white. Through the thick atmosphere, there were faint lights that he could barely pick up. If he had his full strength, he could reach over there in an instant; he thought. Grinding his teeth, the boy mustered what little power he had left to take his very next step that immediately buried itself into the snow. Nature stubbornly resisted and rejected him as the frigid winds battering against him and the deep snow slowing his strides.

 _Almost there..., hang in there, Rebecca._

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The surface of the walls appeared to be beige in color. The triangular rooftop was covered in a snow, so he couldn't tell what its former color was. On top, there was a chimney where smoke arises and blended with the breeze of flakes. The lights informed him that there were people within this two-story tall house. The surrounding houses were followed the same architectural design.

Footsteps on the inside could be heard, and soon the door opened. A welcoming wave of warmth brushed past his face as an elderly woman stood by the doorway with an upright spine, glaring with strict looking eyes, "Hmm!?" She sharpened her scrutiny at the young boy who gazed back with a look of determination. Beneath those piercing, strong violet-hued eyes, there was a smirk. That grin wasn't directed towards her but a facial gesture to indicate victory. The skin of his face was very pale, and above all else, his body could no longer stand upright as he dropped to his knees that caved in under the weight of two bodies. Leaning forward, he collapsed at the doorstep.

The old woman gazed down and enlarged her eyes at the sight of two others resting on top of this young man's back. A cold, freezing hand suddenly grasp around her ankle.

Wheezing and panting, the boy turned his head to the side and looked up, "Please! Save her! I'll... do anything." His grip gradually weakened as his eyes slowly closed shut. The entirety of his body went numb. His consciousness soon faded.

...

Warmth flooded into his body which soaked it up like a sponge, and yet, he felt unusually heavy. Perhaps he was simply too lethargic to move, but he couldn't seem to turn or roll over. He definitely felt that his posture involved lying horizontally on his side, resting against a soft, cushy surface – likely a bed. Sluggishly, he opened his eyes which soon shot wide open.

A pair of arms was wrapped around his torso as a smaller body pressed against him with a head tucked right beneath his chin. He could feel gentle breaths correspond to the subtle expansion and contraction of a living being that clung onto him tautly, treating him like an oversized teddy bear. Without even having to look, he could already guess who it was, but he looked anyways. His younger sister, Rebecca, had him completely under her clutches as she slept peacefully beside him. This habit of hers was nothing out of the ordinary as the youth had always been a very clingy person around him./p

Normally, he would resist, but the relief of seeing her alive brought ease to his heart. Gently, he leaned up while repositioning his sister's posture to lie on the bed on her own. The ease in which he was able to do just that only proved how weakened the girl's state was. The healthy version of his sister would either wake up immediately upon losing physical contact of him or subconsciously tighten her grasp around him to prevent his escape.

 _How long was I asleep for?_

A sweeping glance led him to notice that he was within someone else's room that contained an active fireplace that filled the space in a natural warmth. Rebecca seemed to have survived the trip through the snowstorm, but her face was still flushed in red, still burning with the same raging high fever.

From the entrance, the elderly woman stepped in, stopping her eyes at the boy who was sitting upright. "Ah, so you're awake," she said with a soft smile.

"Thank you for saving us," said the boy in a sincere and grateful tone.

...

"Mmm…," Rebecca subconscious outstretched her hand, searching for something to cling onto. "Pluto… don't leave me…," she muttered in her sleep.

The brother stood by her bedside and glanced around the room, making sure the old lady wasn't present. After confirming that the coast was clear, he tensed up while hesitantly offering the girl his hand. The sleeping youth grabbed onto his hand, conducting much of her heat into him. It almost felt like getting burned by her touch.

...

Pluto…, I had a dream," she expressed.

"?" He tilted his head, watching her attentively.

"I dreamt that you had large wings. You were holding me in your arms as we flew across a night sky. There were stars and a full moon. We saw the world from a high up place; it was beautiful." She looked at the ceiling as if to replay the scenes and imagery in her mind, trying to remember the dream.

"Oh…, I see," he said quietly. For her to have such a dream, she must have caught sight of some semblance of his wings in use.

"Pluto…," she called out to him again before pausing.

"Mm?" the boy patiently waited for her to speak.

"The Komu Komu no Mi… what is it?"

"What?" His body tensed. Had she finally begin to connect the dots?

"That masked man from before said something like that. He said something about your ears," she still sounded perplexed and uncertain.

A pause of silence. He contemplated on what to tell her. His sister was a curious one and would pester him nonstop if he didn't give her the truth. Looking up towards the ceiling, he pondered to himself before speaking, "Have you… ever heard about Devil Fruits before?"

The girl blinked. "Isn't that just a myth?"

"No, they exist," he answered bluntly.

"Keep talking," she smiled, "I like hearing your voice. I want to… know more about you."

"Devil Fruits are very rare; they exist mostly in the Grand Line. Here in the blues, most people would regard them as just a myth. When you eat such a strange fruit, you gain a unique power that no else in the entire world has. Researchers have documented such fruits, recording their appearances to each power. But for those that are not recorded, they remain a mystery until eaten. When I was eight years old, I ate a fruit. The name of that fruit is the Komu Komu no Mi, Model: Vampire Bat. I have the power to transform into a bat, and I can also fuse the physiologies of a bat with my human body."

"Vampire bat? Do you drink blood?" Rebecca began picturing her brother with canine fangs, biting into the necks of others and sucking their blood and life force to attain eternal youth!

"No, I don't," he answered bluntly once again. He was still first and foremost a human being, and he didn't gain any benefits from drinking blood.

"Can you show it to me?" She asked in a cute manner.

"I don't want to," he glanced off to the side, avoiding eye contact. The very thought of showing it to her made his heart sink. He had rarely shown his powers in front of anyone. He had kept it a secret from her and practically everyone else. Most who have laid eyes on his demonic form rarely lived long enough to tell the tales.

"Why not?" She asked in a sadden look.

"Because…," he lowered his head in embarrassment. "You'll think I'm a freak."

"Ha-ha-ha…, so even Pluto can get self-conscious about his appearance."

"Aren't a lot of people afraid of bats?" he looked at her directly when asking that.

"Hmm~, but I'm not afraid of them!" She said cheerfully, clearly with the intent to get him to show it to her.

'We'll see about that..." Taking a few steps back, Pluto looked around the room, making sure no one else is around to witness what he was about to do. Suddenly, a pair of appendages sprouted from his shoulder sockets before splaying out into a large pair of leathery dark wings. His hands and feet morphed into black, hook-shaped claws. His ears shifted towards the top of his head, forming into dark-grey, cup-shaped ears. He retained his violet eyes and most of his facial features. His wingspan was roughly four times his height. Whatever fur that may be on his body was covered up by his clothing.

Rebecca widened her eyes, even pushing herself to sit up straight to get a better view at the alternate form that her very own brother could take on. She couldn't truly believe it with words alone, seeing it with her own two eyes made it a very surreal experience. Even if she believed it through words alone, she would never have guessed how rapidly the transformations could occur. Her brother seemed to have effortlessly changed into his form within just a heartbeat.

"Whao!" She blinked, watching the boy folding up his wings like a paper fan and allowing him to take up far less space. "Can you… actually fly?"

The boy nodded, "Yes."

"Pluto is a ninja bat!?" she exclaimed childishly.

"N-No… I'm not a ninja…" once again, he had to remind her.

"He-he-he… Pluto, you look even cuter with those ears!" She teased as those ears looked a lot like the ears of a cat.

"…," his composed, calm expression quickly became mildly irritated – perhaps even flustered.

"Rebecca lied back down on her bed and pulled the covers up to her neck, tucking the edge beneath her chin. Her breathing grew heavier; her body shivering.

Shapeshifting back into his human form within a fraction of a second, the boy strode back to her sister's bedside. "Are you… afraid of me?" He asked despite her childish response from seeing his ethereal form.

"A little bit…," she responded meekly. After a couple of breaths, she then gathered enough energy to ask another question, "Pluto… why were those people after us? What did he mean by you knowing too much?"

"I have the hearing of a bat. I can hear all the meetings that take place in a marine base without having to step foot inside. I can hear all the conversations from criminal gatherings. I have been on many missions, and my duty has mostly been to eavesdrop on other people, operating as a spy who gathers secrets and vital information that can turn the tides of war and alter the balance of The Three Great Powers." Despite how grand his words entailed, he answered in such a trivial-sounding tone.

"You can do all that with just good hearing?"

"It's true that I can hear things from far away, but I can also hear really high frequencies, much higher than what even cats or dogs can hear. I can hear the breaths of living things. Everyone's breath has a unique ultrasonic signature. I can pinpoint their location just by the sound of their breathing and distinguish that breath on an individual basis. Without having to step foot in an enemy's den, I can count the number of unique ultrasounds I hear and approximate the number of manpower they have."

"That sounds useful... What else can you do?"

"Well… I can turn into a little bat, and that allows me to infiltrate into places very easily and escape just as easily as well."

"Are you… a criminal?"

A long standing silence lasted between them. The boy looked at her with an unreadable facial expression.

"Hmm… I do break the laws, but from the World Government's perspective, I am a very tricky person to handle. Pirates have the tendency to seek out fame and glory; they pride themselves for having a high bounty on their heads. I, on the other hand, operate mostly at night, making it impossible to get a picture of me taken. Without a picture, making a bounty poster for me is very difficult. I keep a low-profile, and I'm very difficult to track down."

"Why do you break the laws?"

"Why do laws exist to begin with? It's to keep people safe… to keep things fair. But, sometimes, laws do the exact opposite. I've seen so much corruption. So much meaningless bloodshed. War waged for silly reasons like pride, greed, or entertainment. I've seen so many liars, traitors, and scapegoats. I've seen slaves treated worse than animals. I've seen so much hatred and pain and sadness and suffering. That… is why I break the laws. If the world is unfair, then why should I play fair?"

She smiled softly. Never before had she learned this much from him. Her brother had always been cold as ice, independent, and reserved. But hearing all this from him, she could begin to understand what shaped this twelve-year old boy into who he is today. His vast amount of experience, knowledge, and insight made him sound almost like an adult. It was sort of weird. She liked it better when he acts more like a kid.

"Pluto..., sleep next to me...," she said in a sweet tone.

"HUH!? WHY!?"


	3. Chapter 3 - Grand Line

**North Blue: Amino Island**

Being separated from her was never an issue as far as he could recall. She would always cling onto him, follow his shadow, or drag him around. Tonight seemed to be the night where his little sister had gone missing as he strolled down the crowded streets of Serine City. From every window and lamp, the eye-stingingly bright lights illuminated everything and everyone to the point that shadows had become diminished at almost every angle. The city was so populated and active that he must look straight up towards the black heavens simply to remind himself that it was the middle of the night.

Scanning left and right, his piercing eyes of violet hue scrutinized and scanned every nook and cranny of his surroundings. Such efforts were futile for his little sister was rather short compared to many of these full-grown adults; the girl wasn't someone who really stood out. Aimlessly sauntering by, he kept his pace sluggish in case he missed a clue, but for all he knew, his legs could be ambling further away from the one he was looking for.

For each breath he exhaled, a puff of smoke steamed out of his mouth. It was only mildly frigid compared to the other islands of North Blue, and being raised around these temperatures, he had a natural strong resistance to the cold. Along the paved slabs, his disturbed mind became paranoid at the mere glance at some of these buildings. Casinos, strip clubs, and bars, each one of them perhaps flooded with pirates, criminals, thugs, delinquents, or some other riffraff. The mere thought that his little sister could be sheltered among any one of them brought an awkward shiver down his spine. Someone as pure and innocent as her should not be mixed with these tainted, dirty, filthy low-lives. If it had been any other island, he might not have worried as much, but since this was Amino Island –famed for entertainment- finding her was his top priority.

Suddenly, he heard an agonizing yell, a man's voice. It was close by, and the sound originated from a dark, shadowy alley between two buildings. None of his business, the crime rate was high in this city, so someone experiencing the misfortune of being ganged up should be expected. He would have simply passed by, but then he heard another voice, a determined, resolute, girlish voice that could belong to no other than Rebecca, his younger sister.

Slapping a palm against his forehead, he hung his head, "That… idiot!" His teeth clenched in annoyance; he entered the shadows where the riffraff dwelled. There were about four tall-standing silhouettes that were surrounding something against the stone wall of a dead end. More accurately, there were five of these gang members, but one of them was lying flat on the ground, wincing, rolling, and groaning in pain. "Rebecca!" he called out fiercely. The sound of his tone drew the attention of the small gang to look towards the light. The boy stood there idly with his mysterious violet eyes gleaming in the dark. The shadow that was casting in front of his feet shortened as he continued his pace forward down the narrow alleyway between two brick walls.

"Pluto!" A responding call of relief announced the wellbeing of the girl who peeked between the bodies that surrounded her.

"Tch… of all the places you could have been…" he paused while trading glances with each of the four hostile figures before him. Each of them was armed with some makeshift of a weapon. As he glimpsed at the body lying at his side, he noticed the fresh blood coating on the knife beside the body. A surge of hatred flooded within him; he was too late. His little sister had already sustained some wounds and beatings by the looks of it, but at the same time, it was incredulous to believe that Rebecca was the one who took out the thug at his flank.

Within the next few heartbeats, he found himself speechless. A silence between them gave them the time to exchange baleful glares towards one another as if it was contest of intimidation.

"You here to pick a fight as well?" an irascible sounding man asked impatiently as he raised his weapon that was composed of a wooden bat with nails impaled around it for extra pain upon impact.

"A fight… no… that's too gentle of a word. How about a massacre?" he let out a murderous threat.

"Don't get cocky," a shadowy figure lunged out in assault.

"I'm not being cocky here, you four simply cannot impose much of a challenge to me," he swiveled around the incoming swing of a crowbar. "All of you are undisciplined," he struck the back of the man's neck with the blade of his hand. "Your muscles are too rigid," he grabbed ahold of another man's arm by the wrist and elbow, and through a simple maneuver of locking the opponent's elbow, he snapped the joint. The nasty crack of bones was audible for all of them to hear.

Drawing a flintlock from the inside pocket of his leather jacket, another figure pointed and aimed, firing at thin air.

"Too slow," Pluto was already at the gunman's side, gripping the wrist and stepping on the man's foot to hinder escape. The gunman would soon find his wrist rotated outwards; a sharp pain then forced him to drop straight to a kneeling position as the pistol clattered across the floor. Bending the wrist backwards, he forced the man to rise back up to the tip of his toes, and without hesitance, the boy implanted a kick into the abdomen, hurling the body to slam into the last standing man who tumbled against the sidewall. "Because how narrow this alley is, you're all forced to attack me one at a time," the boy continued walking towards the girl who was barely even able to stand.

"Joint manipulation," Rebecca muttered to herself as she paid close attention to her brother's movements. The wrist and elbow appeared to be the crucial points to control someone's body, and the more rigid someone was, the easier it became to manipulate their bodies like a puppeteer. No good, she couldn't see Pluto's seriousness in his movements; the boy wasn't trying to kill them at all. Her presence in being here was what held him back; she was certain of it. He probably didn't want her to see any horrid images of blood and death; otherwise, these four men wouldn't be breathing right now.

"I'm sorry, Pluto," she said softly and apologetically. By the time her brother was close enough, she leaned her weight against him for support. The brother didn't even make eye contact; he glanced at the woman behind the girl.

"Not again," he sighed out loud, "I've told you to not get involved in other people's business."

"U-um…," the blonde-haired woman stammered a bit before slightly bowing her head, "I'm so sorry. They attacked me, a-and she tried to save me."

Pluto glared at the little one who rested her head against his chest, "I can see that!" His voice was mixed with disappointment and puzzlement. This girl was too kind and thoughtful, always trying to help to weak and defenseless, but she, herself, was too weak for such a silly idea. He never understood the need to aid complete and utter strangers, people who he had never seen before, people who he knew nothing about.

Stroking downwards against her long and dark hair, he heaved the girl into his arms, lifting the body behind the neck and knees. Striding into the light, he entered the streets without a word.

A few blocks away, he brought her into a motel where a room had already been reserved ahead of time for them both. After carrying her directly to the restroom, he lowered her down and turned on the faucet. A jet of water gushed out, beaming at the drain. "We need to clean your wounds, so they won't get infected," he said.

Rebecca winced at the touch of the water pouring against the shallow cut on her arm. After the trickling blood was washed, her brother wrapped bandages around her wound. Afterward, he had her sit by the bedside where he proceeded to massage her. The girl purred in elation. Soreness and tension that she didn't know existed on her body perished in a soothing, pleasurable manner. She theorized that her brother must know something about pressure points on the human body as he was awfully meticulous about which certain points on her body to press. "It feels so good…," she said, unable to help but crack a smile while lying flat on her stomach. Her body felt warmer as if a strange heat was circulating throughout her being.

"Don't get used to it," he said sternly as he'd rather not have this be a common practice. "I'm only doing this to speed up your healing."

"Eh? You can do that?" She had not idea that her brother had such a skill. "It feels… all tingly! It's like electricity running through me."

"That's because I am using electricity," he corrected her analogy into a fact.

"What do you mean?" The turned to her head to look at him intriguingly.

"I can generate and control my own bioelectricity," he answered as if it was no big deal.

"Wha-!? Is that a Devil Fruit power?"

"No. There's an ancient practice called Seimei Kikan which allows the practitioners to control their bodily functions. I've heard a rumor there someone can control and manipulate their hair."

"Can you do that?" Rebecca asked inquisitively while picturing her brother controlling his short black hair at will.

"Nope! The martial art style that I learned merely incorporates the principles of Seimei Kikan for combat. Usually, I generate an impulse of electricity to paralyze others. I can also control the qualities of my muscles; for instance, I can increase the amount of fast-twitch muscles in my body to move really fast. Basically, I can make other people move slower and make myself move faster."

Rebecca was slightly amazed by just how little she knew about him. "Hm~, what's your martial art style like?" It had only seen little snippets of his movements, but she hadn't seen enough to truly grasp what his fighting style is like.

"It's called Phantom Fist because it's like getting attacked by a ghost."

"Is that what you used against those bad people earlier?"

"Hmm? Not at all. I wouldn't use it on people like them."

"Can you teach me how to fight?"

"Nope," he denied that idea without even a shred of hesitance.

"Eeh!? Why!?"

"Rebecca, one of the most important variables of a fighter is athleticism. Even without knowing any martial arts, being athletic is a huge advantage over those who are less athletic. As you are right now, you are not physically capable of utilizing my fighting style."

 _And… even if you were capable of it, I wouldn't teach a killing art to something like you. Someone as innocent and pure like you should stay away from bloodshed._

"Then…, if I become athletic enough, will you teach me?" she asked with a rising sense of determination.

"Eh!?" Pluto gawked, not expecting her to dig even deeper into this subject matter. "I know I made it sound simple, but Rebecca…, I don't think you'd want to go through that kind training. You'd literally need to surpass your human limitations. It's painful and bitter."

"Oh…," she smirked, "So Pluto can't stand the thought of seeing me in pain?"

"What!?" His brows tensed. "N-No…, I don't care if you're in pain…"

...

 **Reverse Mountain** – The intersection of all four blues.

"Pluto!" A voice called out to him from the outside, "I see something huge!"

"?" A boy stepped out in response to his little sister's words. Stepping across the deck towards the front section of the vessel, his violet eyes looked forward, unable to see a horizon at all. A ginormous wall-like mountain with reddish rough texture stood in front of their path with wild tides crashing into the side of the Red Line. As one's gaze followed the height of the mountain, one would be unable to view its peak for it ascended beyond the dark greyish clouds above that drizzled down droplets of rain onto his face. The waters around them appeared incredibly unsteady and violent. Near the edge of the mountain, one could see whirlpools swirling around as if threatening to sink any ships that comes close. To make matters words, they were heading straight at this mountain, and if nothing was done about it, their demise was nigh, caused by crashing right into the divinely huge wall. A layer of fog or mist kept the scenery rather mysterious and obscure, but the reddish color could still be seen, just not the details in the rocks.

"Hmm," Pluto continued to stare at the absurdly huge mountain that made him feel immensely smaller than usual. Despite appearing that they would inevitably slam into it, he had a calm and composed expression on his face. Deep inside the mind, his visual stimuli kept signaling him to panic and retreat, but it was his Devil Fruit powers that made him feel somewhat safe. Worst case scenario, if they do crash, he could always just fly off and settle onto the mountain itself, but even then, it would result him being stranded there for all eternity. Or, would it be possible for him to fly over this mountain to reach to other side? He had never actually tried to ascend beyond the clouds before; there had never come a need for that.

"It's huge!" Rebecca spoke in awe as she spread her arms outwards to emphasize her point. Darkened patches on her clothes grew as the light rain continued to soak her.

What appeared like a perfectly straight crack on the mountain slowly revealed itself as one of the canals. The foggy atmosphere distorted its appearance from afar, but once their vessel was less than a hundred meters away, a spectacular sight presented itself. At first, his eyes blinked, believing it was an illusion or some sort, but a second glance only reaffirmed at what was happening. It was as if the laws of nature had gone mad by this incredulous phenomenon.

"EHHHH!?" Rebecca gaped childishly in amazement as her eyes retraced the flow of the water from start to end. Rivers creeping down a mountain was common, but everything here was backwards. The current that they rode on converged towards a point at the base of the mountain. A waterfall in reverse, the seas were gushing up the canal as if gravity had no influence whatsoever. Up the steep slope, it rose up towards the grey clouds themselves.

A single filed line of water gates framed the entrance point from where a ship should enter. They appeared to be made from grey stone, carved into a square outline with ancient-looking patterns scripted on surface. There were only about half a dozen of them standing close towards the base, evenly spaced apart. From how things were set up, it was as if only small ships could enter The Grand Line. With such a narrow passageway, they should consider themselves lucky that their vessel wasn't any larger than it already was.

The constant bombardment of the waves deflected the aiming of their ship, and they were suddenly about to head straight at one of the pillars of the first water gate. Rebecca stepped back, pointing at the anticipated catastrophe, "We need to steer the ship!" They were drifting to the side, and things were starting to look bad now that they were this close towards the mountain. There wasn't much time left; they had to act fast.

"No!" Her brother shook his head. "With the current this powerful, steering isn't going to help us."

"What!?" The little girl jerked her head at the boy, "We should at least try!"

Stepping towards the direction to where the ship was leaning towards, Pluto sprouted out a pair of leathery black wings, splaying his additional appendages like a paper fan.

Rebecca took notice of a peculiarity. Her brother wasn't fully transformed. It was only his wings that appeared - no claw, ears, or fur. She didn't know that he was capable of partial transformation.

"I'll handle this," The little boy said confidently, and with a flap of his wings, a strong breeze expanded outwards from his current spot as he heaved himself off the rocking ship. Off to the side, he hovered over the rushing tides below his feet, facing towards the ship that was edging closer towards the stone pillar.

To realign the vessel's course, he intended to do it with force. Pulling his wings back, he lashed them forward, unleashing a wall of air to slam into the sails of the ship, and in the meantime, the momentum pushed him backwards by the recoil. The wooden vessel received the blunt blast of wind that nudged it to the side. Now that its front pointed straight towards the center of the canal, the entire structure tilted upwards.

"Wha!" Rebecca took a half-step back, anchoring her back leg to support her weight from falling back from the sudden steepness of the deck. However, now that they were sailing up the giant staircase of rising current, everything felt swift and smooth. No more rough tides tossing them around like ragdolls; they were now speeding up the mountain in the most ridiculous way possible. Not a single roller coaster ride in the world could be as intense as this.

Soaring parallel to the slope of the mountainside, Pluto landed onto the deck, squatting down before deforming his wings like a plant sprouting in reverse. They looked towards the peak. White foggy clouds breezed against them from the front, shrouding their surroundings in a foggy state. The loud rushing sound of water had the intensity of a waterfall; their voices seemed almost muted if they did not shout across at one another. Throughout their ride, there were small pale red walls on either side, acting as the banks of the canal.

"!" Suddenly, he felt his feet no longer in contact with the deck. The entire ship shot itself straight up into the air at the very peak of the red mountain. They had completely ascended beyond the clouds, and beyond that point, the sky appeared brightly cerulean with a sun angled off in the distance, illuminating a spectacular sight to behold. For that short moment, it was as if their ship was flying in the air, but then a sudden sharp drop caused everything to plummet back down. Crashing against the downstream in a rough landing, they now scaled down across the other side of this monstrosity with the current now seemingly obeying the laws of gravity.

It was like traveling down on a giant waterslide. The sunny weather now brightened everything up, providing a huge contrast to the rainclouds from earlier.

"Ooo!" Rebecca had her mouth halfway open, awestruck by the incredible ride they were experiencing. Her violet eyes saw the vast seas that stretched towards the horizon. It didn't appear that much different from the blues, but considering the journey it took to get there, that already betrayed her expectations. Their ship reached the very bottom of the Red Line, now drifting forth across the waters from the accumulated momentum, gradually slowing its pace down.

"This is… the Grand Line? We made it, right?" The little girl shifted her violet eyes between the two older individuals for answers.

"Yes," the boy nodded, "We made it." They had now successfully reached the next level of their journey towards the very top. The Grand Line was on a whole different level than the blues where many adventurers have met their demise.

 _So…, I'm back in the Grand Line._


	4. Chapter 4 - The Broken Promise

One year later…

 **Grand Line (Paradise): Eldoran Island**

He felt as if he was drowning in a sea of warmth as his thick blanket wrapped tightly around his body, but there was something even warmer. A soothing aura of heat radiated from another breathing, living being whose small arms clung around his chest in an endearing way. A head pressed against his neck, fitting like a puzzle piece beneath his chin. Soft breaths grazed his skin every few seconds, sending a tingling sensation. Half-asleep, half-awake, he felt his eyelids glued shut, afraid of the unwelcoming light that would blind and sting his eyes. He didn't know what time it was, and he didn't know where he was. Quite frankly, his brain didn't care. Somehow, it felt like he slept for days, but his body lied there as lazy as ever, unwilling to move. The longer he slept, the more he wanted to sleep. If he so much as rolls his head at a small angle, an unpleasant stream of cold air would leak inside the little cocoon he wrapped himself in with the blanket.

The moment he dared to open his eyes halfway, he found himself in a dimly lit room. Something immediately seemed out of place. Then suddenly, his eyes widened. His body flinched backwards before finding out he wasn't in contact with the mattress anymore. Falling from few feet of height, he thumped and crashed into the cold, hard ground, "AHHH!" All the warmth in his body seemed to have dispersed into the atmosphere. Sitting up, he pointed accusingly at his little sister who was still asleep in his bed, "Hey! Rebecca! What gives?" His finger then pointed towards the opposite side of the room, "You have your own bed, don't you?"

"Mmm…?" The little one was stirred awake, rubbing her eyes with curled up hands, "but it was freezing last night." Rolling away, she hogged all the blankets for herself before falling asleep again.

Petulantly, he crawled back onto the bed, poking his sister in the sides repeatedly as the girl started to squirm from the ticklish sensation. "Give me my blanket back!" he squabbled on before the girl decided to unravel the blanket and pounce on top of him while engulfing the both them with the thick fabric of warmth. Falling onto his back, he was being wrestled and tussled by the girl trying to get a firm hold around his torso. His hands fidgeted with her arms while trying to nudge her away.

"Pluuuuto…," she drawled before nearing her face just inches away from the boy, "We'll be together forever, right?"

"Hah? Why are you asking me this now?" he turned his head away, feeling anxious by the proximity of her sleepy, coy face.

"We don't have a home anymore. And… you're my only family left. I… don't want to be left alone. I want to stay with you forever."

His heart throbbed uncomfortably from hearing those words. He didn't think he'd care for her this much; perhaps he even loved having her around. This fuzzy feeling in his heart had been niggling him for quite a while now. They were at the Grand Line, and he was only thirteen-years old. They had been venturing for a while now. He had supported their lives thus far through the money earned by hunting down bounties. His sister had felt secured and safe by the strength that her brother possessed.

His eyes gazed up at the low ceiling, pensively reflecting the past, present, and future. For the longest of time, all he desired was to just live and survive, doing everything for the sake of himself. He was never supposed to make friends or form close bonds with anyone. It simply didn't feel right to drag the innocent into his sully life and put them at unnecessary risk of being marked as a criminal's associate. But, Rebecca was a special case indeed. She didn't have anyone else to turn to, and she was far too attached to him. She was family, and therefore, she was also going to be a target by the World Government.

The death of his family was all his fault. He had committed an unspeakable sin. Holding confidential information from various affiliations certainly played a part, but there was one crime that led to the destruction of his home and family of assassins. It was all his fault. For the past year, he had made an unspoken promise to protect Rebecca with his life, putting her above even his own wellbeing.

"Yeah…, we can be together forever. I'll protect you, Rebecca. I promise."

The girl gazed at him with a rapturous expression.

Pluto climbed out of bed and began to examine a small glass orb with a compass needle hanging at the center of the spherical object. "Now that the log pose has reset, I'm going to buy some supplies before we head to the next island. I'll be back within the hour," he informed to his sister who was still lying in bed with a giddy feeling.

"Okay!" The girl replied with an upbeat tone.

…

Nearly a full hour had elapsed as the boy sauntered down the street. He wore a cloak that draped around his body and a hood over his head, shadowing his face. With a single arm, he carried a bag over his shoulder, heading back to the ship.

Ominous grey storm clouds had formed in the evening sky. There was a strong breeze in the air of the darkening town. Soon, it began to rain, starting from a small drizzle to a heavy downpour. No one was outside at this time and weather besides him - or so he thought.

Standing in the shadows was tall, slim man wearing a black suit, a white tie, and a large black top-hat. He had shoulder-length wavy, black hair which appeared both unruly and wild. He wore a pale white mask that covered his face but exposed his chin which showed a closed-shaved goatee. Perhaps, the most peculiar aspect of him was the white pigeon roosting at his right shoulder, wearing a little red tie.

"Who are you?" the hooded boy asked suspiciously, getting bad vibes from this man. It felt as if every cell in his body was warning him that this man was dangerous.

The lanky figure stepped a few strides forward, "In the name of the World Government, I'm here to execute you."

 **Rob Lucci – CP9 Agent (21 years old – two years before he began working as a spy at Water 7)**

The boy went silent, and the moment that white pigeon flapped its wings, the tension in the air ruptured.

"Soru!" In a flash, the masked figure reappeared immediately within striking distance. "Shigan!" At blinding speed, he thrusted forth his pointer finger straight towards the target's chest.

The boy reflexively swayed to the side, evading the piercing, penetrating strike which grazed and tore the fabric of his cloak. Had he responded just a split-second later, blood would have already been drawn from the first attack.

 _This guy… just used two of the Rokushiki techniques consecutively. Who is he!? His speed is monstrous._

Taking a half-step forward, he entered within range through a low, sideways stance. Twisting his waist, his arm snapped out like a whip, darting out a punch at the man's solar plexus.

Catching the clenched fist with his spare hand, the masked figure blocked with an open palm. "Impressive. So, you can keep up with this level of speed?"

"I guess so," he responded nonchalantly before dropping his bag, allowing it to fall onto the ground.

A blurry streak slashed diagonally through the air, caused by a single upward kick. "!?" The striker would soon find the boy vanishing from his current spot. A heartbeat later, he, too, vanished as a sidekick phased through an afterimage that he left behind.

"Soru!" The man in the black suit flashed, appearing as streaks of black, blending in the rainy, dark setting.

 _Shadow Step._

The hooded boy responded similarly, dashing through the rain at blurring speeds.

Repeated clashes shook the air itself, creating expanding spheres of dispersed water droplets. After dozens of exchanged missed attacks, the smaller one landed the first blow, a thrusting elbow at the core of the enemy's torso. "!?" He rose a brow in confusion. Despite landing his attack, his opponent did not budge or falter. In fact, it felt like he just struck his bone against a mass of iron.

"Tekkai," the man stood perfectly still in a widened stance. "I commend you for being able to land the first strike on me. Your speed and reflexes are indeed superhuman. Unfortunately, you're up against someone who has mastered all six techniques of Rokushiki."

"Tch…," Pluto took a step back. "A full-fledged master of Rokushiki, huh? Just who on earth are you?"

"I'm a member of CP9."

 _CP9!?_

Cipher Pol 9, a secret agency from the World Government, specializing in assassination. Supposedly, all members of CP9 were required to know all six techniques of the special, superhuman martial art known as Rokushiki.

 _This is bad…, he's not someone I can easily run away from._

Urgently, Pluto leaped back to gain some distance, but his opponent flashed right in front of him before his feet could even touch the ground.

"Shigan!" The CP9 agent wasted no time going straight for the kill. His finger pistol pierced through nothing but thin air as the target vanished. "!?" The white mask leered off to the side where a winged creature flew off into the distance. "Hmph. Running away, are you? Kamisori!" His being bolted through the air like a zigzagging streak of black lightning – a combination of both Soru and Geppo.

"!" Pluto gazed up, catching sight of a shadowy man appearing right above him. A foot stomped straight down, crashing straight into his guarding forearm. The winged figure plummeted straight through the rooftop of a small house. Landing onto his back, he coughed repeatedly as smoke and debris lingered in the air. "Urgh…," he groaned in pain, gritting his teeth as his body lied in the middle of a small wooden crater.

"Shigan!" The man jolted straight down, shooting his pointer finger straight towards the ground.

Immediately, the boy somersaulted backwards as the agent's arm punctured through the floor. Planks of woods splintered into the air. Hopping a few strides back, he began to realize that he didn't have any time for a breather as the next assault was already incoming.

"Rankyaku!" A horizontal sweep of the leg, the Rokushiki master unleashed a slicing projection of air, a crescent shaped blade that whistled across the room.

Jumping up, the boy collapsed his legs towards his abdomen as the projected slash breezed past him from below. The wall behind him ruptured from the aerial assault and with several supporting beams severed, the entire house began to cave in. Flapping his wings at his predator, the zoan-user simultaneously attacked and propelled himself backwards, launching himself out of the collapsing structure through the gaping open wall.

The wall of wind crashed against the CP9 agent, hurling him straight through the opposite wall. As the entire house collapsed completely, the man quickly clambered back to his feet, picking up his fallen top-hat in the process and putting it back onto his head.

Meanwhile, Pluto tumbled across the ground, rolling into a squat with a hand pressing against the earth to further support himself. His breathing grew heavy, "Haah... Haah… Haah…"

 _I need to… get out of here… He's too dangerous…_

"Coo! Coo!" A white pigeon fluttered its wings before perching on top of a nearby tree branch. Still wearing its red tie, the little bird stared the boy with its small beady eyes.

"!?" The hooded child suddenly lifted his head up, gazing into the dark rainy sky. A large, bulking silhouette hopping across the air as if there were invisible platforms floating above. The giant, burly figure rocketed straight down like a comet, landing right in front of the boy which shook the ground itself. Just the very impact of his landing generated a breeze of air which blew the child's hood off his head.

Violet-hued eyes gazed upon the enemy's new form which stood twice as tall as the man he was before. A large massive torso with huge meaty arms of raw muscle. Sleeves rolled up, exposing a leopard's coat of fur and dark claws for fingernails. His hind legs were like that of a cat. A long yellow tail swung out from behind with a black tip. The white mask was gone, revealing a hybrid of a man's face with the features of a large feral cat.

 _A Devil Fruit user…!?_

Of all the possible types of Devil Fruits, the Zoan-type was most suitable to close-range combatants. For a Rokushiki master to wield such a power, his physical abilities would be enhanced to a completely different tier of fighting prowess.

"Unfortunately for you, I'm also a Devil Fruit user - Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Leopard."

"Tsk…," Pluto leaped back until suddenly a serpent-like appendage coiled around his waist and suspended him in the air. His hands grabbed onto the leopard's tail, struggling to break loose from its ensnarement.

"You've got nowhere to run now. You did well to survive this long against me. But, it's over now," the feline beast lifted the writhing boy higher up as he pulled back his arm with a pointer finger aimed straight for the child's heart. "Shigan!" His massive arm darted forth as his finger pierced through thin air.

"!?" The CP9 agent widened his eyes in surprise, not expecting his prey to slip away once again. A small black shadow fluttered the corner of his eye. Suddenly, a heel hammered straight into the leopard-human's face. The monster's torso lurched to the side after receiving the sharp aerial blow, but the strike simply didn't carry enough power to disorient his massive build. Stern eyes leered to the side.

A large beefy hand grabbed onto boy's lower leg that was used to kick him, and with his vice-like grip, he performed an overhead throw, brutally slamming the bat-human into the ground.

"ARUGH!" The youth cried out in pain, buried several inches deep into the compact layer of dirt and rocks, leaving behind a crater. His fingers gripped the ground, clenching tightly.

"Transforming into a bat at the last moment to escape, a clever move." The beastly feline raised his opponent up by the leg as the smaller fighter dangled upside down. "But, it's over n-," his words were cut off as a puff of dirt and sand flew straight into his eyes. Releasing his opponent, his large hands went straight for his face where his eyes squeezed shut, momentarily blinded. Immediately, his torso caved in by a penetrating, heavy punch; swept off his feet, his massive body hurled across several meters before crashing into the rubbles.

Without a moment of rest, Pluto jolted straight for the CP9 agent, but just as he was about to land a blow, his target vanished from the same high-speed maneuvering technique as before.

Hopping into the sky, Rob Lucci retreated into the air. Wiping his eyes with his forearm, the wetness of his fur cleared his vision completely thanks to the rain. Gazing down, he saw his aerial prey rocketing straight up with fully extended wings. There was a nice serious look in the boy's eyes. "Rankyaku!" He unleashed a slicing blade of air, shooting straight down.

The bat-human made minimal adjustments to his movements, twisting his body such that he flew past the arc of air where his wings were ephemerally parallel to the blade-like assault.

…

It was eerily quiet for Rebecca when she realized just how isolating it was to be in this room all by herself. Her brother was awfully late. What was taking him so long to come back? She missed him.

…

Two monsters clashed beneath the dark stormy rainclouds. The wind had become even more violent, causing the rain to slant and whirl around. The tailed beast propelled himself through the air by repeated high-speed stomping of his feet. He thrashed mercilessly with his long, bulky arms, striking repeatedly at the evasive, meandering foe whose wings made him more suitable for an aerial battle. His patience was running low. This was taking far longer than anticipated. Little by little, he noticed his prey beginning to adapt to his fighting style. This child relied on deflecting his attacks and counterattacking, each strike faster and sharper than the last. By being pushed to his limits, the boy was evolving.

"Seimei Kikan: Kami-e Bushin," the burly, bipedal feline suddenly grew lither, muscles on his body seemingly condensing into a more compact form.

"Urgh!" Pluto was suddenly struck by a knee to the abdomen; his body concaved by the blow. Another assault struck him from above, rocketing his body to crash straight into pavement, leaving a dented mark of cracked cement.

 _He's gotten faster!_

"ARUGH!" The boy cried out as a foot stomped straight down onto his back with the weight of several men behind the impact. A foot pinned him to the ground. He couldn't move.

"Haah… Haah… Haah…," The CP9 agent stood over the small child while panting.

"Pluto!?" a girl's voice called out through the loud, heavy rain. Long black hair, violet-colored eyes, the small youth glared with an incredulous expression. She saw a wild tailed monster in a black suit with a foot pinning down her older brother in the middle of a crater.

"REBECCA!" the boy bellowed raucously, "GET OUT OF HERE!"

"Eh?" She hesitantly took a step back. There was no denying those voice that belonged to, but she had never heard him yell at her like that before.

"Hmph," the leopard-human sneered, "so you've saved me the trouble of having to find you, girl. Soru!" The beastly feline vanished, instantly reappearing in front of the girl who flinched at his blinding approach.

"COME BACK HERE! YOUR FIGHT IS WITH ME!" an acrimonious voice echoed out as Pluto gritted his teeth, forcing his arms and legs to clamber himself back up. With a single propelling step, he rocketed straight for the half-leopard.

"Tekkai," the agent stood completely still as the boy struck him from behind. The attack, fueled with rage and fury, failed to even make a dent in his ironclad defense. Pivoting on one foot, the beastly combatant swung his leg out, roundhouse kicking the boy away.

Crashing straight through a wall, the brother was buried in a heap of debris.

"Hm?" the Rokushiki master gazed to the side, catching sight of the girl who's running towards the direction of her brother.

Pluto crawled out of the rubble of wreckage of stones and wood, desperately forcing his body to move urgently. He could hear his sister coming closer; his ears picked up her breath, her heartbeat, her footsteps.

And, then silence.

Blood splattered into the air. A head flung into the air before hitting the ground, rolling to a stop. A small decapitated body collapsed to the cold, wet floor.

Tears welled up in his unblinking eyes. "REBECCA!" He screamed. His view of his sister was then blocked by a looming figure standing in front of him. A tail coiled around his neck, heaving him off the ground as he suspended into the air, dangling off his neck. His hands gripped the choking appendage; his legs flailed about helplessly.

 _I... promised... to protect her..._

"You're next," said the cold, merciless killer who's just oozing out bloodlust directed at the boy who has posed him a far greater challenge than he imagined. This boy, Pluto, had a committed a terrible crime at the age of eleven in the eyes of the World Government; he killed a Celestial Dragon. And as a result, Rob Lucci, the strongest in the history of CP9, was sent on this solo mission to kill him and anyone linked to him by blood. That was the fitting punishment of his Dark Justice.

"Shigan!"


	5. Chapter 5 - The Fighting Genius

Two years ago, Pluto was a mere eleven-year old boy. He was regarded as a prodigy in his profession as an assassin, someone who possessed both a masterful level of kinesthetic sense and the hardened, numbed heart to enact sins without batting an eye. Raised to look at the naked darkness of this world with his own eyes since a young age, he was inured to its cruelty, and he was disgusted by the corruption and heinous nature of mankind. He valued his own life above all else and valued the lives of others as much as ants that may get accidentally stomped on.

He knew better than anyone else just how fragile life was. Taking away life permanently was so easy - too easy.

He had listened to this world far and wide. He heard its screams and its secrets. He had monitored the movements of marines, pirates, civilians, and criminals.

It wasn't until he witnessed a Celestial Dragon that he ticked. A repulsive, sickening overweight man wearing a special suit and bubble-like helmet, the world noble wouldn't even breathe the same air as the commoners. The overweening piece of trash wouldn't even walk on his own two feet, sitting on a throne on the back of a crawling slave who painstakingly carried the spoiled man who'd threaten him for going too slow. If this high-status figure wanted a form of transportation, he could have gotten something like a horse to ride on, but to purposely use human slaves, he only wanted to see the low-lives struggle.

Never had Pluto experienced such vehement disgust in his life. Yet, despite his profession, even he was not allowed to do anything about it. In this world, even outlaws such pirates or criminals would never commit the unspoken taboo of messing with a World Noble. It wasn't that they feared the strengths of these pampered pricks by any stretch of the imagination; they feared the consequences that came after it.

Watching from a rooftop, the boy held himself back. Every fiber of his being wanted to exterminate these pests that held the reigns of the World Government.

However, when he saw a girl, around the same age at him, getting captured by the Celestial Dragon's guards, when he foresaw the inevitable grim future of that innocent brunette, he snapped.

Corruption and innocence, he wanted nothing more than to separate these two facets as far away as possible from one another. In his experience, the adults tended to be corrupt; the children tended to be innocent and pure. And, that little girl was about to become one of those slaves, toyed and used by the filthy, tainted hands of a Celestial Dragon who pick and choose whoever they wish to be their plaything.

In his demonic form of half bat and half human, Pluto bolted down like lightning, killing one of the gods along with his bodyguards. For the sake of a single soul, he saved a stranger, but for the sake of his wrath, he quenched some of his hatred by slaying the one who -in his eyes- was the embodiment of world's corruption.

…

At the age of thirteen, Rob Lucci was already regarded as the strongest CP9 agent to date, having slaughtered 500 soldiers who were held hostage by a pirate crew that raided a kingdom. Following the doctrine of Absolute Justice, he viewed these soldiers the same as criminals for they have committed the sin of weakness for not only failing to protect their kingdom but also acting as a burden to the nation they serve by surrounding themselves as hostages to evil. In addition to mass murdering all the hostages, he singlehandedly eradicated the entire pirate crew and decapitated the pirate captain.

Now twenty-one years old, he was facing against a thirteen-year old boy who shared a similar talent in killing. At the end of the day, both were nothing more than monsters raised to be a killing machine after forging their very own flesh and bones into destructive weapons.

"!" Lucci grew alert.

The boy caught the man's finger pistol with his bare hand; he caught the man's finger pistol with the piercing index finger slipping right in between his own index and middle finger. Meanwhile, a buzzing sounded in the air as an enigmatic light dazzled from his other hand that tended to his neck. Electricity of violet hue conducted into the suffocating tail that's raveled around his collar. The muscles within the slithering appendage spasmed and loosened, freeing him to land back onto his feet.

His sister was just killed right in front of his own eyes, such a traumatic sight would render any young child into despair. But, instead, he felt hollow as if there was nothing inside his chest. He didn't know how to feel as of now, he didn't have the luxury to feel much with a menacing predator towering before him. Sadness? Rage? Maybe a bit of both. Whatever boiling mixture of emotions residing within him was deeply suppressed. But, he did feel one thing: this fervent yearning and desire to kill the man standing right before him. Whether it's to survive or to enact vengeance, he wasn't too sure.

 _I… want to kill him._

The look in his eyes and expression had changed, no longer did he wore the face of a prey. But, there was still one undisputable fact…

 _But, he's stronger than me._

Even after enhancing his speed by converting more of his muscles into fast-twitch fibers, all that accomplished was put him on par with the speed of the CP9 agent. Speed and maneuverability were supposed to be his forte, but as far as endurance, power, range, and technique, he was falling a bit short in comparison. Unable to clash head on with the weight behind Rob Lucci's attacks, he had been forced to play defensively, stalling out by deflecting his attacks. But, against the Rokushiki master's Tekkai, unless he catches him by surprise, none of his attacks could penetrate through that iron-hard defense.

 _Then…, I'll just have to… surpass my current self – the pathetic self who couldn't even keep the promise of protecting one little girl._

The boy stood there without any guard which invited his foe to attack. A large yellow fist was unleashed for crippling damage, but suddenly, it was blocked.

"!" The leopard man felt something completely new as his fist collided head on with what appeared to be a black leathery wing that shielded the child before him. But, something was off. If the little one can enact this level of defensive capabilities, why hadn't he use it before?

"I see," a cold and detached tone uttered. "So, this is how you use Tekkai, right? It's nothing more than glorified muscle tension." His wings had changed; they were bulkier than before. The network of tiny muscles within the membrane of his dark wings were enhanced and tightened, and the very skeletal structure of the finger-like bones were thicker as well. This wasn't merely a mimicry of Tekkai, but an inspired version of it that focused only on his wings rather than the entire body. Given the large surface area that his wings provided, they acted as a giant pair of iron shields.

"Tsk," the agent hid his surprise. _Did he learn how to use Tekkai on the spot?_

Immediately, the boy stepped into range and retaliated with his own punch.

"Tekkai!" The Rokushiki master stood completely idly by, allowing the attack to strike his core. "I'm impressed that you picked up the technique so quickly, but you're getting ahead of yourself if you think that'll change anything in terms of damaging me."

"Like I said," the boy still uttered with the same cold and detached tone. "It's nothing more than glorified muscle tension." With his punch still in physical contact with the agent's torso, he directed a jolt of electricity straight into his foe at a concentrated point.

"KUGH!" Suddenly, the agent was flung back as a second punch struck him in the same spot. The jolt of electricity he received had disrupted his muscular control over a certain region of his body, leaving behind a weakened defense.

"Rankyaku!" he kicked out a projected blade of air that whistled through the air.

Pivoting on his leading foot, Pluto retaliated with an upward kick, projecting five separate slashes of air flying parallel to one another, each corresponding to one of the give hooked claws on his foot.

The opposing slicing attacks clashed head on and dispersed into thin air.

"I see…, so this is how you use Rankyaku. Mine is a bit different. It's much easier to slash with the claws than it is to slash with a blunt foot."

 _This boy… is he… learning my techniques in the midst of fighting me?_

Talent. First Tekkai and then Rankyaku, the boy's attempted mimicry were rough, unpolished, and improvised, but evolving his fighting style in the middle of life and death could only be accomplished by one in millions. He could already fly and possessed a technique similar to Soru. Little by little, he fighting prowess was functioning more and more like a Rokushiki master.

He remembered a time when his little sister was folding a piece of paper. Rebecca made a paper plane. She gently chucked it, and the plane glided in a curved trajectory. No matter how many times she threw it, the plane only glided in a circular path. Her brother tweaked the wings to keep them symmetrical, and after handing the plane back to her, the plane glided perfectly straight. The girl learned that she could control the direction of the paper's trajectory by tweaking the wings. She didn't always wanted it to fly straight; sometimes, the plane would fly back to her like a boomerang.

Whoosh!

Black wings splayed out. Pluto glided straight towards his opponent at maximum speed.

"Soru!" Rob Lucci blitzed forth, engaging his prey in a contest of speed. He punched, but his opponent evasively slipped away and struck him from behind. "Arugh!"

By tweaking the shape of his wings in an asymmetrical manner, the bat human had learned a new way of maneuvering in a circular path. With this little trick, he could swiftly get behind his opponent, no longer trapped in a linear constraint when dashing. Little by little, he began applying every little bit of experience in is relatively short life into his combative abilities.

Fury of fists, kicks, elbows, knees clashed with one another. The two zoan-users continued on their fight tirelessly.

"Rankyaku!" A blade of air was unleashed.

Pluto swiped down through the air with his bare hand, unleashing five crescent blades from the tip of his black hook-shaped claws. The adversarial assaults clashed and nullified one another once again. "If I can do it with the leg, then I can do it with the arm as well," he muttered with sternly, learning a new variant to his improvised technique once again.

Punch for punch, kick for kick, the gap between them had closed. The boy could go toe-to-toe with the CP9 agent; it was a stalemate. However, having pushed his body to the limit, he was reaching his limit.

"Haah… Haah…," wheezing, he was out of breath and out of stamina.

His opponent was a monster. No matter how much he tried, that feline zoan-user had monstrous durability and stamina.

Before he knew it in this long, dragged out fight, he eventually found his back pressed up against the wall, cornered. His opponent's fists were positioned up against his chest and abdomen. He didn't recognize this technique at all.

"Rokuogan!" a devastating shockwave ruptured from his fists; pressure waves phasing through the boy's torso. The wall that stood behind the boy crumbled into dust.

Internal organs damaged, slushing around like pudding. The little warrior tilted back as bright red fluids coughed out of his mouth. Unable to even stand, he was falling back until a hand grasped the collar of his cloak, holding him up. Heaved off the ground, he dangled in the air, held by a single muscular arm. His half-open eyes glanced meekly at the one who took his precious sister's life. Rage stirred within him, but his body could no longer move.

"This is retribution…," stated the leopard human in a low voice. His breath panted hoarsely from having exerting so much energy – even to the point of having to utilize the secretive seventh technique of Rokushiki, his strongest technique.

"Seimei Kikan…," the half-dead boy muttered with his last breath, a seemingly futile last ditch effort to survive.

"Shigan!"

A finger punctured straight into his chest, a few centimeters to his left side. Blood trickled down, dampening his cloak with a darkened, expanding patch.

… _Rebecca… I'm so sorry._

His body went limp. He fell to the cold, wet ground, motionlessly lying on his back where a clear visible small hole could be seen as if he had been shot by a gun.

"Mission complete," Rob Lucci of the CP9 walked away. His white pigeon returned back to perch on his shoulder.

The rain had stopped.


	6. Chapter 6 - The One Man Army

**Grand Line (Paradise): Athens Island**

It was two hours before midnight when a small ghastly cloud phased across the half-lit moon, blocking its lunar rays from reaching the earth below. Just moments ago, there were two scraggy, dirty men standing at the entrance to a giant tunnel; each armed with a rifle held in both hands. Their eyes saw nothing but pitch black in the far distance, and their neighboring colleague appeared nothing more than a vague silhouette. But now, they were reduced to mere bodies that laid flat on the ground right outside the tunnel to their hideout.

There existed a single train track that ran down the rough terrain of the abandoned mine, narrow enough to have a small cart to travel across. The tunnel had a circumference of over thrice an average man's height. Several dozen meters deep, dim lighting of pale yellow lit the area, casting shadows across the crevices and jagged formations along the fused walls and ceiling. A gang of riffraff hang out in this area, sitting along the edges as they waited for time to pass by. Relaxed and carefree, some had their heads rest against their palms; they expected nothing but boredom to come. Day after day and night after night, not a single soul dared to trespass here and made it out alive. Not even the marine forces that established their base on this very island had the guts to deal with them. Such was the balance between crime and justice where one could not overcome the other. Despite the pirates' secretive and shady means of conduct, the navy knew all about their hideout, yet they didn't have the nerve to mess with them upfront. Every single squad of soldiers that they have sent in the past had never been seen again. Their hideout was considered to be the most dangerous place throughout the island, riddled with a myriad of diverse pirates from different crews that have banded together to operate their illegal business.

"Could you believe it!? A marine lieutenant tried to come here all on her own," a hooligan initiated trivial talk to his fellow comrades.

"Hah-ha! I heard she got taken down by Toxic Rose. I wonder what's going to happen to her."

"Whatever it is, she deserves it for being stupid enough for coming here all by herself. This is why we have natural selection – to weed out idiots like her."

"Damn! If it were any other of the captains, that girl would be dead already. But, Toxic Rose is the type to break her opponent down physically and mentally. She'd probably torture that marine girl into submission."

"She might get some useful top-secret intel that the marines possess."

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, every single one of them was swept away by a powerful gust of air, hurling them deeper into the tunnel. Bodies tumbled across like ragdolls; they felt as if an invisible wall had just crashed and bulldozed them away. Screams and cries were muffled by the rush of wind.

Alarmed by the scattering of bodies that flew into the scene, the pirates that were stationed at a deeper region of the tunnel readied their weapons. Blades were withdrawn from their scabbards, and safety locks of firearms were clicked. With the duty to guard this tunnel, they automatically assumed an enemy attack, yet their minds still doubted the likelihood of that happening.

"Hey! What's going on?" One of the standing pirates spoke towards the general mass of groaning bodies that writhed on the ground. Suddenly, a single pair of footsteps echoed, sounding like a single individual approaching right around the corner. The pirates prepared as the shadow of the walking figure was first to appear. All the action took place within the next second as a streak of violet and black flashed before their eyes. Blurred afterimages of an enigmatic entity flickered within their field of vision, granting them no time whatsoever to make a move of their own. They couldn't tell where the enemy is for their pupils would always be one step behind.

A strange, alienating mixture of pain and numbness flooded throughout their bodies which were soon slammed against either the walls as they were all struck by an invisible force. Time seemed to have slowed down as they fell into a deep slumber right before thumping against the hard, cold ground.

The tunnel steeped ever so slightly down until a massive gate could be seen up ahead. The entrance was closed shut, taking on the form of twin wooden doors that comes together at the top as an arch, reinforced by steel bordering frames.

BOOM!

An explosive force had erupted forth as the gates were ripped off its hinges before flying and skipping across the floor in multitude of chunks and pieces. A shower of debris rained down as a murky grey smoke expanded out from the point of destruction.

Within the underground fort renown as Hannai, pirates from various crews were gathered here. Altogether, they were a force that rivaled even the marines on this island in terms of numbers. Criminals of all sorts throughout the massive, spacious area dwelled within this giant subterranean cavern with the ceiling reaching hundreds of feet high. Eyes darted towards the source of the thunderous sound that echoed throughout to the enclosed space. The gates to their private illegal business were destroyed, and the one responsible behind this took the form as a lone shadow standing idly within the fading silver smoke.

The very thought of someone barging in here was completely outrageous and downright suicidal. Already, someone attempted to intrude their fortress earlier today, and now someone else dared to make the same mistake. The humanoid figure calmly stepped out of the smoke, striding onwards without a shred of fear or hesitance. He stood at a short height around 152 cm with normal humanly body proportions. There was absolutely nothing spectacular about him in terms of size; in fact, he appeared to have a child's body. His face remained hidden beneath the shadow of a tightly-covering hood, and most of his body was cladded with light armory of a pale shade of dark violet. He wore forearm and shin guards as well as metal covering his groin, outer thighs, torso, and shoulders. His attire consisted of a high collar that protected his neck and dark-cyan undershirt and pants which are subtly noticeable between the gaps of his protective gear.

The intruder walked with eerily silent steps as if he was nothing more than a moving mirage. His hands were kept within his side pockets as he strode in nonchalantly.

"What are you fools waiting for? Take him down! Don't let him take another step forward," An authoritative tone echoed out as a single pointer finger aimed straight at the foreign figure in the distance.

An obedient swarm of men immediately charged forth, brandishing their melee weapons. Their faces wore expressions of savage beasts, showing their canine fangs. Like a pack of wolves, they partly encircled and attacked from several angles. Blades whooshed through emptiness, slashing at thin air as their hooded target vanished at the instant of nearly being struck. Clueless eyes darted around aimlessly; none of them could pinpoint the intruder. He seemed to have just disappeared!

"W-What!?" The golden-haired Skypian lurched back with a startled visage. Without a trace of sound or movement, the armored figure stood square on, being only a few meters away and standing in a daring manner; his hands remained in his side pockets. Without any guard up, he was leaving himself wide open to be attacked, yet there was an aura of confidence brimming from his actions alone. Just now, he had somehow managed to bypass the mob of armed men, crossed tens of meters in distance, and entered within close range of the pirate captain, Olimpo Scates. His gesture seemed to suggest that the other pirates were too far beneath him to be worth his time and effort and that it'd be more worthwhile to take on the stronger ones first.

For the time being, Olimpo did not sense any hostility from him.

Without any telegraphed gestures or visible motion, the mysterious combatant suddenly held a vertical outstretched fist with the middle knuckle of the index finger notably extruded out with the thumb tucked behind.

"Kuh!" The Skypian lurched and grimaced as he felt a sharp, penetrating pain striking him dead center in his solar plexus. He couldn't visually pick up the enemy's movements at all; the attack happened in an instant. The fist didn't even connect; it was out of range. Yet, somehow, he was struck with pinpoint accuracy. There was something very deceptive about his adversary as he struggled to grasp the enemy's attack range.

A fist was soon shot straight for his face, causing him to react, but a sharp blow struck him in the chin from below. "NGH!" His teeth forcefully clenched as his jaw was shut closed by the upper cut; his entire body was then heaved off the ground by a few inches.

 _He used a feint!?_

As fast as the first punch was, it was purposely slowed down to be visible, leading the second punch to be the true attack. While his body hovered ever so slightly off the earth, a snapping side kick launched him into the vast distance. The Skypian flew dozens of meters before crashing through a stone-brick wall. Only then did the mob of pirates honed in their attention towards the intruder. Their faces and bodies were frozen stiff at the sight of a captain being hurled away within a few heartbeats. Jaws were lowered; eyes were gawking.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" A slender man on a rooftop cackled out loud like a hyena. "You're pathetic, Olimpo Scates. Is that bounty of yours just for show?" Both his arms and legs were extraordinarily longer than a normal human; his arms in particular possessed an additional set of elbow joints as well.

The crowd of pirates down below all looked up and spoke his name in unison, "Lancelot Blackburne!"

In a leap, the longlimb human sprung himself towards the intruder, rocketing forth like a comet, "What do we have here?" Flipping himself once in midair, he repositioned himself to extend his leg outward, using the momentum to carry the power of his flying kick. His opponent stood his ground and faced him upfront, but up until the last moment, he pivoted on one foot, rotating around to opposition in a ghostly manner with minimal motion. Flying right past his opponent, Lancelot landed onto the ground as his boots slid across the rough terrain, creating two trails marked behind him. He turned around and immediately reengaged towards the face-concealed foe with a barrage of whip like punches. "HA-YA-YA-YA-YA-YA-YA-YA-YA-YA-YA!"

Like a pair of serpents, the intruder's arms blurred almost completely out of sight as he deflected the rapid series of punches that rained forth from a multitude of angles. None of Lancelot's assaults were landing. Each hit felt so close to land its mark, yet each one deviated off course just enough to slip past the target. "You're not bad at all… Huh!?" The pirate redirected his attention the sudden bright light from his peripheral vision.

From the side, a conical stream of orange-red flames roared straight for the both of them, causing the two fighters to disengage and leap back from one another as a wall of fire flew between them.

A smirk grew on the Lancelot's expression, knowing full well who released that fiery assault. "Hey! Olimpo, you're still alive?" The longlimb teased at the now grumpy Skypian.

"Shut up!" The tall blond-haired man with small white wings on his back stepped out of the rubbles from the large gaping hole of a crumpling wall. From the palm of his hand, the source of the fire dissipated into hot wavering air, revealing a colorful rusty-shaded shell in his possession. "This guy... is a dead man! He's got some nerve humiliating me like that." His temper rose; veins bulged from his temples.

A completely new face then entered the scene. "Now, now... no need to get your tempers up high," a middle-aged man with short-groomed black hair and a mustache stepped into the scene. He wore a formal black suit and leather shoes and held a calm demeanor despite the tense atmosphere. With an ordinary-looking wooden cane held in his left hand, he slowly pulled the handle, revealing a long thin blade hidden inside. "This intruder of ours clearly isn't an ordinary fella. Now then, why don't we..."

CLASH!

"Ngh..." Pushed back, the wielder of the cane-sword parried against a sudden flash of black that crashed against the edge of his blade. Only a split second later did the butler mentally register the elongated, sharp black claws grown out of the user's fingertips, "You won't even let me finish my sentence, ay?"

A second swipe from other hand slashed through the air like lightning, forcing the older fighter to be on the defense as he parries with an adjustment of the sword's angle. "My, my... What a troublesome fighter you are."

"Master, allow me to assist you," a brunette in a maid uniform suddenly popped out from the side, approaching the clawed enemy towards mid-distance before swinging her hand out to throw three chrome-colored dining knives that have been sharpened to pierce more than just food.

With a raised arm, the tips of the knives simply bounced off the metal guard around the enemy's forearm. In an instant, the claw-bearing menace lunged forth, thrusting his elbow straight into the woman's solar plexus.

"AHHH!" The maid cried out as she was knocked off her feet and hurled straight into a nearby wall behind her. The crash left a shallow crater with a network of crevices on the grey stone surface.

The long blade-like claws instantly retracted back into ordinary pair of hands.

"Alice!" Meanwhile, the butler man called out the name of his underling from a sense of concern. His eyes grew stern towards the nimble fighter, "Hasn't anyone ever taught you not to hit a lady?" He rushed forth, wielding his rapier-like sword to thrust onward. His opponent intercepted his intent by simultaneously slipping past the blade while unleashing a punch that did not even physically connect. A sharp spear of air shot out from each of their attack, showcasing the force behind their execution.

"Kuh...," The elderly one reluctantly coughed out blood from his mouth, staining his white undershirt. He couldn't see it at all – his opponent's attack. The physical punch never connected, yet there was a sharp blow with needle-like precision that struck him in the heart. In that instance, he realized that the enemy's attire wasn't just for show and that he was up against a legitimate, skilled assassin.

"Sniping Fist," the intruder whispered in a detached, low tone. His right extended arm suddenly blurred into an a barrage of precise blows, and in a heartbeat later, pressure points in the arms, legs, and centerline were all struck.

Clatter!

The narrow sword fell onto the ground, and soon, the butler dropped onto his knees and collapsed altogether.

"Oi...," Lancelot gulped in disbelief. "Hey... Charles..., you're not actually down, right? Hey! Say something!"

"Humph, that old fool let his guard down the moment that maid of hers got hurt," said the blond Skypian.

"Damn it!" The longlimb human immediately dashed onwards towards the idly standing fighter whose back is turned towards him. This situation should have been over already. With a clear opening to exploit, Lancelot Blackburne jabbed with his right fist towards the intruder's blind spot.

Without the least amount of motion possible, the masked target merely tilted his head slightly to the right as a fist slipped right past the left side of his face. His head then tilted to the left along with a subtle shift of the weight towards his left foot, and the second punch whooshed past his skull from the other side.

 _Impossible! Does he have eyes at the back of his head!?_

For both consecutive attacks to have missed just like that, this clearly was no coincidence. This intruder must have some foreign, otherworldly ability to be able to sense him without eyesight.

Swiveling on his leading foot, Lancelot whipped out a roundhouse kick, aiming for a swift blow towards the temple, yet despite the speed and power behind his technique, his leg was halted to a stop in an instant. His brows tensed up as his ankle was trapped into a vice-like grip by the opponent's crossing arm. With the turn of the enemy's stance and waist, the intruder swung his arm around along with the entire physical body of the longlimb fighter.

The world went spinning around him as a strong breeze of wind blew against his hair. After being swung three-sixty in a circle, he was sent flying straight into the front entrance of a building, smashing through the wooden door, "Arugh!"

"Flame Dial!" Immediately, Olimpo unleashed another massive stream of orange-red flames that originates from the palm of his hand. The swift assassin dashed to the side in evasion even as the trajectory of the fire started following him with the sweeping motion of the Skypian's arm.

In a roundabout approach, the intruder bolted straight for the man with the small portable flamethrower, ready to engage him in a close-quarter combat.

"Humph!" With a smug, condescending look on his face, Olimpo outstretched another arm as soon as the output of the flames halted. "Flash Dial!" Closing his eyes and partly looking away, he released a blindly bright flash of white light illuminated the entire vicinity of the city block.

Seconds later as the light died down, the masked figure was left paralyzed with his arms crossed in front of his face. It was in that instance a loop made out of rope was dropped over his head before shrinking down and binding against his waist. From the sidelines, a young blonde girl stood confidently with a cowgirl's hat, a brown corset, shorts, and heavy brown boots. In her hands, she wielded nothing more spectacular than a long coiled up ropes that formed her lasso. Rooting herself to the earth, she pulled as hard as she could in order to tautly bind the target and hinder his movements. "Gotcha! You sure are a fast one! He's all yours, partner!" Her blue eyes shifted their gaze towards the man standing up at the rooftop.

Dressed in a cowboy-like attire, the gunslinger pulled out both of his pistols and aimed both barreled straight at the ensnared target down below, "Roger that! You just keep him nice and still for me."

BANG! BANG!

Two rounds of bullets were shot, and two small explosions erupted on the other side of the target.

"Eh!? Hey! What are you playing at? This is not time to be fooling around," the cowgirl scolded. That perfect opportunity that she had just set up to snipe the enemy down was now ruined.

"... I'm not fooling around..., this fella... just deflected my bullets with his forearms," the pirate known as Trenton Routledge, also known as the Silver Shot, responded to his right-hand girl. "Tsk... Did he regain his vision right at the last moment?"

"You! Woman!" Olimpo pointed straight at the blonde girl with the constraining lasso.

"You might want to let go of that rope right about now."

"Eh!? Why?"

"REJECT DIAL!" The Skypian planted his palm straight against the core of the armored fighter before unleashing a destructive energy from the most powerful dial of all. In an instant, the intruder could no longer be seen as his body was hurled away in the vast distance like a jet stream, crashing through several buildings that crumbled under its own weight.

"EEK!" The cowgirl widened her eyes in shock. Had she still held onto her rope, she would have been carried along with that powerful pulse of energy.

"Tch...," Olimpo gritted his teeth while gripping onto his right shoulder. Using the Reject Dial was commonly used as a last resort. The consequence was that the user would risk killing himself by the sheer amount of backlashing force. As of now, his right arm was completely busted, now limping by his side and screaming in numbing pain.

"A Reject Dial? Isn't that your trump card?" The gunslinger questioned the extent of how far his comrade had to go. "I didn't think you'd use that so early on in the fight. Wasn't that a bit overkill?" He sheathed his pistols by the sides of his belt; with a blast like that the enemy was already taken care of.

"You underestimate him. He took down Charles Vane in an instant and threw Lancelot as if he was a ragdoll. Both of them have bounties over fifty million as well. We're all top-tier pirates here, and we're being treated like ants."

The ground suddenly shook from heavy lumbering steps of a large brutish man with bulky mechanical arms. Leaving out the door of a building, he had to bend down just to lower his head and make his exit. "What's all the commotion about?" He snarled viciously before straightening himself up, standing over eight feet in height.

"Sorry, Bezio. You just missed out on all the fun. The intruder had just got taken down," the cowboy informed.

"An intruder?" The cyborg narrowed his eyes, mesmerized at the very thought of someone barging in here on their turf with so many pirate crews gathered in one place.

Meanwhile, several city blocks away in the underground fortress of Hannai, a crowd of pirates gazed in awe at the wreckage of the last building that someone had just crashed into. Smoke and debris lingered thickly in the air, obscuring their vision from what was inside the massive gaping hole. They all stared at the endless expansion of colored air, and within that white smog, a grey figure darkened into a black shadow.

"!" They were suddenly taken aback by an impending sense of trepidation; all of them instinctively drew out their weapons as a wave of bloodlust washed over them. The mysterious hooded boy, who stepped out of the clearing smog, staggered with each and every step, visibly disoriented from the blast he just received. It definitely wasn't normal for a human to be able to stand from that force. This must be some sort of monster that had taken on human form. As he finally straightened himself up, his arms floated from either side in a smooth continuous motion, rising up as his palms converged towards his center before sinking down along with his deep exhale through the nose. It appeared to a simple breathing technique, allowing him to regain his sense of balance and focus.

A torn rope remained dangling off of his waist with numerous fibrous strands sticking out; a sharp tug was all it took to rip the lasso off of his body.

Tick!

With a giant bazooka resting on his right shoulder, a man, aiming from amongst the mob of pirates, pulled the trigger and fired with a backlash that shook him back. His eyes barely caught the glimpse of a motion blur from the target's right arm, and a split second later, an explosion erupted forty-five degrees away from the intended trajectory. "EH!?" The man widened his eyes and gaped in shock. There was virtually no shaking in his arms when he fired that shot; there was no way he could have missed – not by that much at least.

"What just happened?" The surroundings pirates witnessed the action sequence, completely baffled as to why the single enemy remained standing unscathed.

"Good grief," the pirate captain Trenton Routledge stood at the rooftop of the building opposite to where the intruder crashed through earlier. "Not only are you still alive, but you don't seem to have taken as much damage as I would have guessed. At the very last moment, you leaped back and crossed your arms right before the Reject Dial activated. Isn't that right? Your reflexes are quite scary indeed." Even though he noted that reaction from before, he still didn't expect the enemy to have survived the blast this well.

The hooded figure angled his head upwards, acknowledging the presence of the gunslinger and the keen eyes that this cowboy possessed. The spoken words were all true, but they were missing a critical aspect. At the very last moment, the boy coated his forearms with Busoshoku Haki which enhanced the defenses of his guard.

"What business do you have with coming here?" He asked authoritatively. Almost no one could barge in here uninvited and expect to live, yet this single soul caused enough damage to put their reputation at stake.

"I am looking for someone, and I know she's here."

Trenton paused for a moment, surprised to actually hear the man speak actual words. "Oh, you mean that marine girl? And what makes you think that she'd still be alive?"

The hooded figure remained silent for a short while. "If she's dead, then I'll just kill every single pirate here," he stated his answer rather simply.

"Hah!? You intend to wage war on all of us just by yourself? How ludicrous," he lowered his head, knowing full well of two impatient men who are eager to get in on the action.

From both flanks of the intruder, a large silhouette on each side rocketed forth to attack.

"METEOR SMASH!" Amatore Bezio launched forth his massive, bulky cyborg arm that radiated out steaming heat and static sparks. His arm rumbled like an engine gathering up power.

"IRON CRUSH!" A large towering man swung around an oversized mallet with a chrome-colored head and metal shaft that's wielded by both hands. Veins bulged from his arms, ready to unleash all of his might in a single swing.

In the pincer formation, the two powerhouses unleashed their attacks from opposite sides of the motionless figure of a much smaller stature. In an instance, both of their strikes landed and came to a sudden, unexpected complete halt. Their forces crashed up against a pair of black organic wall. The impacts made it seem as if they struck at an iron surface, yet there was some elasticity which acted as a shock absorber.

"Ludicrous, huh?" the boy said calmly with his hands in his pockets; all in the meantime, a pair of giant thickened bat wings had sprouted from his shoulder sockets and quickly shielded him from both flanks.

"A Devil Fruit user!?" The cowboy on the rooftop looked astonished by the sudden revelation. He watched the hybrid of man and bat swat his wings outwards, shoving the two towering brutes off their feet. The full wingspan must have been over seven meters across, and in addition, the lithe, armored foe now bared black hook-shaped claws on both hands and feet, granting him a more beastly appearance. "But..., you're nothing more than a Zoan-Type, the weakest of them all." The reveal of a cursed power was nothing to be concerned about.

A sudden gust of wind filled with muffled screams bulldozed the mob of fodder pirates straight into a gathering of wooden crates that snapped in unison as juices of fruits squelched out. With just a casual flap of his wings, the menace had cleared away an opening in front of him before ascending up into the air and gathering up the attention from numerous sets of eyes throughout the underground fortress.

BANG!

The gunslinger on the rooftop fired at the demonic target which soon vanished from his field of vision. A chill ran up his spine as a subtle breeze blew past him. He was able to visually keep up with the intruder before, but now he couldn't make out his movements at all. This must have been the result of the physical enhancement of his Devil Fruit power.

 _He's faster than before!_

The winged monster was decelerating right behind his back with a fluid and smooth turn of his body. Just as the gunslinger turned around with his pistols swinging across, a barrage of consecutive hits battered him throughout his upper body; each strike aimed precisely at his vital points. It was as if he was standing at pointblank range in front of a Gatling gun that fired out rubber bullets. He immediately lost control over his arms that was mixed with both pain and numbness. His twin pistols fell out of his hands as his body swayed back all on its own.

SWISH!

The longlimb human -Lancelot Blackburne- sliced his leg straight across, yet despite being attacked from behind, the zoan-user lurched to the side by dropping his weight onto one leg and lowering his stance. The pirate's kick had whistled over the target's head. As soon as he landed back down, he immediately sprung forth, releasing a continuous onslaught of punches and kicks. His armored foe had his wings folded up, taking on a compact and narrow stance. Pale shades of violet flickered side to side in a blur of afterimages of evasive maneuvers.

"Damn you! Hold still!" He growled. None of his attacks were landing. Each of them came close to hitting, yet they kept on missing by the breadth of a hair. "GAH!" Without warning, a sudden wall of force shoved him off the rooftop. The condensed form of air swatted him away as if he was just a fly.

A large shadow loomed over the speedster from above. The intruder leaped away as a massive cyborg arm smashed straight down into the surface of the flat rooftop, releasing a wave of tremor that vibrated throughout the structure. An expanding crater formed beneath the point of impact, forming root-like cracks and fissures until the entire surface caved in.

"Greetings, I shall be your next opponent!" Amatore Bezio watched the chaos unfold with an elated grin on his face. Destruction was such a beautiful scene. The two of them plummeted while standing on some falling platform of debris. The entire building was collapsing on top of itself. Simultaneously, the two of them propelled off of their foothold and dashed straight towards each other for a massive collision of raw power.

"METEOR SMASH!" The large brutish warrior roared.

The intruder coated his right hand with a concentrated coating of black which camouflaged with his already black hand.

 _Busoshoku: Koka!_

The two punches clashed against one another, releasing a shockwave that blew away the falling debris around them. Wavering heat and violet static electricity radiated out from the point of collision as the colossal forces neutralized one another.

"That Bezio guy is out of control!" Olimpo looked onward from a distance. "If those two keep fighting each other, the entire city block is going to be demolished."

"But still...," murmured the man with the oversized mallet, "I can't believe his opponent is holding his own against him. That Zoan-user is definitely not normal."

"...," While standing safely at a distance, the assassin gave a brief glance at his own hand that subtly shook after impact.

 _My haki isn't strong enough. The punch from his metallic arm hurts._

"How interesting; had it been anyone else, all of the bones in your arm should have been turned to powder."

 _He's pretty strong; I should eliminate him quickly before he becomes a threat._

In a blink of an eye, the winged combatant had seemingly teleported up close to the brutish cyborg. There was no sound of his footsteps or even the faintest whistle of air when he approached him. His movements were invisibly fast. He stood motionlessly like an empty shell of armory with no one inside.

A metal hand clenched, immediately swinging across the afterimage of the apprehension. Bezio felt two gentle fingers placed along the side of his head, touching directly onto his temples. His peripheral vision noticed a large shadow looming over him before a split second later when all the muscles in his face and upper body convulsed as dazzling lights of mystic violet flashed before his eyes. "AURRHHHHH! AURHHGHHH! AUGHHHH!"

Ghost-like steps carried the agile warrior to walk away from behind the man's back as the mighty pirate captain tipped forward like a falling corpse. "Guuuhhhh...," his front foot soon stomped the ground, reestablishing his balance. Wheezing and sweating like mad, his bloodshot eyes turned to look at his opponent whose back is turned to him. Crankily, he lunged forth like a barbarian, causing his right arm to rumble like the sound of an engine being turned on. His limb glowed hot red with statics sparkling out.

"I intended to fry your brain, but you're a lot tougher than I thought," the assassin said coldheartedly.

"METEOR..."

 _Razor Form..._

From fast to slow, the assassin gracefully pivoted away from behind the man's back with his arms and wings moving along with his waist, acting like the spinning blades of a high-speed blender.

"KUH!" Once again, Bezio lost sight of his opponent, but he had no doubt in his mind that the menace was standing at his blind-spot. His giant right metal arm spun in the air, dislocated from its shoulder socket, leaving him gushing out fluids. Several clean slash marks were carved deep into the flesh of his chest and abdomen, gradually soaking his attire in the expanding stains of blood. The enemy's elongated claws acted as blades; his hands, feet, and wings might as well be embellished with sharp daggers.

Thump!

The mechanical arm crashed into the rubbles, and at the same time, the one-armed man collapsed into a pool of crimson.

A symphony of frightened voices panicked throughout the vicinity. One of their mightiest fighters had been taken down right before their very eyes, and the main threat at hand had now revealed a deadly-looking form. A regular Zoan-user could enter just three primarily forms, yet it was as if this bat-human could access additional ones.

"Tsk... noisy pieces of trash," the assassin blitzed like a wind of death breezing by a crowd of lowlife riffraff. Even the edges his wings sliced like blades. Merciless slashes squelched into flesh and bones, leaving behind a bloody scene of half-dead bodies that cried and screamed in pain and agony. The fact that they remained alive made it all the more terrifying; it only meant that this monster wasn't even desperate enough to kill any of them despite being drastically outnumbered. Here, the monster walked in a den home to other monsters, yet he had proven to wield to power to slay them all.

This situation became quite dire and serious for the pirates. They were not up against someone who cared about arresting them or simply wanted to partake in a street fight. This man did not play games; he meant business. His no-nonsense approach and superior combative prowess only meant as a warning. Unless they took him seriously and use every resource in their arsenal, their entire forces may very well be wiped out by a single fighter.

The sounds of frightened screams of screams echoed in the distance, approaching closer and closer with each passing second. A mob of warriors made a run for it, heading towards the direction of the Zoan-user who looked onward at the giant multi-headed beast that was chasing them.

A young scruffy man yelled from the sidelines before his feet slowly carried him away, "A Hydru!? Why is something like that doing here!?" The most dangerous creature on Athens Island was now rampaging on their turf. The seven-headed serpent was one of the three main types of creatures that roamed the labyrinth.

"Fufufu..., now then... we can eliminate the intruder by using our most formidable genetically modified specimen," a middle-aged skinny man stood at the peak of a tall building, watching the chaos unfold. With two fingers, he pressed the center of his glasses to secure it in place. There were many such monsters at their disposal, but if pirate captains were not enough, then sending any other beasts would have been a waste.

The ginormous black serpent slithered down the city with its body taking up nearly the entire width the street itself. Its seven heads were raised as high as the multistory buildings themselves; the sheer length of its body took up several dozens of meters. Each snake head acted on its own accord, opening its jaw wide to reveal its venomous fangs and forked tongue before biting down onto a pirate within their reach.

"It doesn't matter how much you damage the Hydru," the mad scientist chuckled sinisterly. "With the genetic trait of a starfish mixed in, it possesses high-speed regeneration. Blades, spears, claws, and fangs, none of that would work on it." If anyone thought that cutting off its head would kill it, then they would be dead wrong. Any head that gets sliced off would result in two more heads taking its place; it truly did mimicked the mythology of a the renown hydra.

The multi-headed serpent soon confronted the armored boy with the leathery black wings of a bat. In comparison, the Zoan-user was heavily dwarfed in terms of size.

"Regeneration, huh?" The assassin repeated what he overhead despite the scientist being several city blocks away. "Why don't you show me... your regeneration then?" Standing firm on the ground with the claws of his feet anchoring him in place, he crossed his arms before swiftly swiping his razor-sharp claws outwards, projecting two sets of five bladed arcs of air in the overall shape of an 'X'.

A split-second later, all seven heads were severed into multitude of pieces. Heavy chunks of bloody meat crashed into the ground, reducing the nightmarish beast into nothing more than an oversized carcass.

"...," the scientist lowered his jaw with his eyes popping out of their sockets, "W-W-W-WHAT!? HE KILLED IT IN JUST ONE HIT?" When all of the Hydru's heads gets chopped off, then the monster would be killed instantly. Even though he knew of that flaw, he didn't think they would be anyone capable of slicing all seven heads in one go. Such a feat would belong to a master swordsman, yet the adversary used nothing more than his claws.

"What are you fools standing around for?" Olimpo Scates barked at the massive crowd of minions. "He's only one person! We have tens of thousands on our side. Take him down!"

Immediately, an army of pirates roared as they charged straight at the Zoan-user with weapons of all kinds. Warriors of all classes converged towards a single point where the true monster stood waiting. However, the first few dozens of them couldn't even get close to him; a wall of compressed air was suddenly released from a mere flap of his wings, one strong enough to bulldoze them away and crash into other bodies.

The remaining fighters were still numerous as they courageously bolted straight for the winged devil from multiple sides. With several swift swipes, the assassin slashed across several bodies, constantly changing directions and pivoting to handle multiple adversaries at once. Even those who attacked him from behind were all slayed by the claws of his wings which swung back to attack. Blades clashed against his claws, ending up either deflected or broken into pieces. Blood splattered across the scene as bodies fell several at a time. The intruder could effortlessly handle several them at once with each limb handling a different opponent.

CRACK!

Joints were snapped.

SPRAY!

Arteries were sliced open, causing jets of blood to gush out. He could see the blood coursing within their veins; he could sense the subtle difference in heat to detect major blood vessels for him to cut with his bladed claws.

Every motion he made wasn't wasted. One attack would have its momentum be carried on to the next attack, flowing from one to another. His entire body functioned as a single entity, yet they could attack at multiple directions at once –mostly due to his deadly wings as an additional set of limbs at his control. The precision and accuracy of his strikes were impeccable, aiming straight for the joints, pressure points, major blood vessels, or vital organs. His fighting style combined martial arts, assassination, and animalistic physiology into a single, concise package. He needed not wield any weapon for his forged, powerful body was already a lethal weapon. Even as hundreds were slain, he did not slow down or show any signs of fatigue. He kept moving with each motion seemingly to equate to at least one slain enemy.

More and more pirates began to hesitate; some even retreated. They began to realize how hopeless it was to take on this killing machine. This enemy showed no hesitation to take their lives. As the encircling fighters began sparser, several silhouettes dropped down from above. The longlimb human, the Skypian, the man with a giant iron mallet, a swordswoman with a katana, and an armored knight with a saber and shield, five pirate captains joined forces to attack in unison.

"Hail Barrage!" The longlimb bombarded forth a fury of blinding-fast punches.

"IRON CRUSH!" the giant iron mallet swung down.

"Impact Dial!" The Skypian outstretched a peach-colored shell on his palm.

"Wind Shuriken!" the swordswoman unleashed a spinning four-bladed air projectile.

"Gale Slash" The knight swung forth her double-edged sword, releasing an air slash.

 _So, they've finally stopped underestimating me. Very well... I shall return the favor then._

The assassin blurred with a sudden rotational motion. He pivoted on one leg with his slanted wings splayed outwards. "Coiling Dragon," he whispered as rising whirlwind was summoned by the sheer raw power of his rotating wings like the spinning blades of an electric fan. The twister quickly engulfed all five pirate captains along with countless of minor-ranked pirates into a violent grey storm of debris with countless of loose slashes sprinkled throughout the assault. As a myriad of bodies spun within the giant vortex, flesh were cut, weaponry and armor were either broken were shattered. Tiles of rooftops were ripped out and sucked into the monstrous phenomenon.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? A TORNADO!?" yelled an unfortunate pirate.

Screams were muffled by the rushing winds that blew them around in circles, carrying them further and further upwards. The Coiling Dragon was one of Pluto's strongest techniques, yet its greatest potential of use was when being surrounded from large numbers of nearby foes.

Thirty seconds later, the whirlwind dwindled in strength and dispersed into a breeze. Countless bodies rained down from great heights, crashing into the ground while covered in blood and slash marks. The vast majority of them were unconscious; only the pirate captains managed to barely cling onto their consciousness. All of their attacks had been completely washed away by an even superior force.

The assassin was nowhere to be seen.

"Haah... Haah... Haah...," Within an empty room, the intruder wheezed and panted, reduced to being on his hands and knees. The spike of energy from before was completely used up; his stamina was left drained. A while ago, he managed to pinpoint this room, knowing full well that it was deprived of other souls due to his excellent hearing and making it an ideal spot for him to rest and rejuvenate some of his strength. He used his last attack as a cover for his own escape. With an attack of that magnitude, he foresaw himself being exhausted. Fighting any longer without any breaks would have been unwise; he had to pace himself.

All of this was merely a simulation to him. The marine lieutenant, Himeko, he knew nothing about her. He didn't give a damn about the abstract word known as 'justice'; such an overused word had lost meaning to him a long time ago. However, when he learnt of her disappearance, he began tracking her down in secret; that was how he ended up here in the first place. He had no idea that there would be so many pirates here. There must have been dozens of pirate crews concentrated in this underground fortress.

He didn't care about that marine girl; yet knowing that she had been captured triggered a deeply rooted rage within him. He pretended the pirates were his enemies and pretended that Himeko was his sister. All of this was just a simulation.

About a year had passed since he was 'killed' by the CP9 agent, Rob Lucci. Throughout that year, he cried. His heart screamed silently in a void. The one person he came closest to care for, to love for, to die for, Rebecca was dead. Despite having witnessed countless of deaths in his life, despite how numbed his heart has become, her death brought him the greatest pain in his life. Everyday, he wished that it was all just a lie – that she would come back to him by some miracle. He missed her – the girl who was his last remaining family left, the one who would hug him, cling to him, and make him feel human.

He tortured himself daily. Ravenous for power, lusting for strength, he had fought and fought and fought against a myriad of foes across Paradise of the Grand Line. He wanted the strength to protect his now imaginary little sister from that time. If he fought him again, could he win? If he had the strength back then that he has now, could he have protected her?

His hand clenched the left side of his chest, feeling his heart beating – the same heart that Rob Lucci thought he had pierced with his finger pistol technique. At the very last moment before being pierced, the boy had shifted his own heart to the right side of his chest, evading a fatal strike. This was only made possible through the practice of the ancient art known as Seimei Kikan. It was the first time he had ever altered his organs before.

All he could smell was the blood from countless of slain men. His hands were coated in dark crimson. He could hear the chaos outside, the panicking voices, and the manhunt they've sent out in groups. He closed his eyes softly and pictured the face of one particular person in his mind, and soon, his stirred emotions became energy. Pushing himself off the floor, he stood upright. His breath became stable; his violet-hued eyes reopened with a new spark of murderous vitality.

From one voice to the next, he explored and visited several streams of conversation that flowed into his pivoting ears. It was only a matter of time before he found some sort of lead.

...

Scented red candlesticks lined up along the perimeter of the room, standing on desks and small platforms attached to the walls. They gave off a spicy, herbal aroma in the air, and they were the only source of light in dim vacant room where the floor, walls, and ceiling were all made of the same grey stone.

A young woman remained shackled at the center of the room. Her body was left limp like a withered flower, having very little life left. Her wrists were locked in manacles with a single chain linking her constraints to the ceiling, leading her arms to be fully raised over her head.

"Oooo~! I just love seeing you weaken little by little," the redhead pirate held up a syringe in her hand with a clear fluid filled up inside. Her lips trembled with excitement. Just how much longer would this marine girl last? What would happen if she injects this drug into her? Would she die? Or will she suffer a bit longer? She had been waiting for so long just so this girl could recover a bit of strength, and then she could drain it out of her all over again.

She took a moment to appreciate the helpless scene of the youth who had been kept captive in here throughout the whole day. The girl's long, brown hair was let down with a few strands out of order. Her pale peach-colored robe was ragged, torn, and cut up. Her sleeves were ripped off.

"Now then...," she licked her lips. "Let's see how you'll handle this one," the sadistic woman swung her hand, ready to stab the girl in her bare arm. Her swift movement was then stopped shortly as a hand clutched her wrist.

CRACK!

A high-pitched scream echoed throughout the chamber. The redhead pirate felt the bone of her wrist snap in pain by the vice-like grip of the intruder that hid within her shadow. She didn't even sense him enter the room. Admittedly, she tended to be zoned out when torturing others, but it was difficult to believe that she didn't pick up a single footstep down the stairwell. This was supposed to be her personal private chamber; no one was supposed to be allowed in here, not even her own subordinates.

A sinister, cold voice spoke to her, "I take it that you're Toxic Rose, Aileen Cotton."

"Who the hell are you!?" She hissed viciously while tending to her broken joint. The syringe that she held in her grasp had been disarmed. A lithe armored man with leathery bat wings stood before her with a hood shadowing his true face. His inhuman appearance took her aback. Without any hesitation, the intruder swiftly stabbed the woman at the side of her arm, pressing with his thumb to squeeze every last drop of the substance into her.

"My name is Pluto," he responded. Once all of the fluid was visibly emptied out, he pulled out the needle just as swiftly as when it pierced into her bloodstream.

"W-What... have you done!?" Aileen staggered back before falling onto her buttocks. Never had she ever dreamt of her own drugs being used against her.

"You tell me because I don't have the faintest idea what I just injected into you," he said nonchalantly and tossed the empty syringe aside.

The redhead gaped in shock. She felt the immediate effects of her body feeling exponentially more sensitive than before. Her limbs were sluggish to respond, slowly losing their ability to listen to her commands. She clenched her teeth, staring furiously at the demonic being, "Pluto...? I'll remember you..., you will pay dearly for this..."

With a quick extension of his wings, the Zoan-user released a gust of wind out to the side, blowing away every last flicker of light that the candles had to offer and leaving the room engulfed in pure darkness. Echolocation allowed him to see through the darkness; he was the only one in the room who wasn't hindered by the lack of light. Through the echoes of his ultrasonic pulses, he could easily make out every nook and cranny of his surroundings. Claws slashes through the air, aimed to slice through the shackles that constrained the person of interest.

WHOOSH!

Chains clanged onto the cold hard floor. He carried the slender girl into his arms and left the room. He didn't need to feel her pulse to know that she was still alive; he could already hear her breath.

After walking up the stairs and leaving the building, he was immediately greeted by gunshots from several rifles pointed straight at him. Several rounds were fired, yet he continued to stride onward. Both of his thick iron-hard wings overlapped in front of him, shielding him from the bullets while leaving his arms free to carry the marine girl. This special modified form of his was inspired by the technique known as Tekkai. The wings of a bat contained a network of muscles; all he had to do was enhance and tense them up. This wasn't the first time he used it since his time in this underground city. The tradeoff was losing his ability to fly as long as he remained in this form.

"Damn it! Bullets don't work on him?" cursed the sniper from afar.

"Stay back! You monster!" A pirate desperately pulled the trigger repeatedly despite having run out of ammunition.

Silently, their target vanished without a trace. The Zoan-user used a technique known as Shadow Step, allowing him to relocate himself with silent speed. He hid from shadow to shadow between buildings; and eventually, he reached the exit – the same as the entrance he used to arrive here. Pirates, who have spotted him leave, no longer dared to attack him; they should consider it a blessing for that monster to finally leave them alone. Much of their forces had already been wiped out. If losing that marine officer was all it took to get rid of him, then that was a trade that would happily make now that they learned what kind of demon they had been up against. It wasn't even a close battle. Their most elite pirate captains were all defeated.

None of them knew what was to come. Was their reputation now tarnished? That invader seemed to be neither a marine nor a pirate. The methods taken to rescue a marine officer did not resemble that of the navy that they were familiar with. They did not know who he was or what connection he had with the marine girl. Even more mysterious was the fact that such a strong and powerful fighter remained unknown to them all. They had never heard of any rumors in regards to a Zoan-user who was practically a one-man-army; whoever this monster was must have had laid dormant for quite a long time for there was no pirate or marine that they know of who even mildly resembled his way of fighting.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Revolutionary Army

Ever since the invasion of Hannai at Athens Island, the name 'Pluto' began spreading across the pirate world like wildfire in just a matter of weeks. Rumors claimed that a single boy wiped out an army of pirates belonging to several crews with captains whose bounties ranged anywhere between twenty million and a hundred million in beri. They instilled the image of a hooded assassin with large bat wings and black razor sharp claws; the movements of such a figure were said to be like that of a ghost – silent and elusive. No one could figure out what his agenda or affiliation was. He remained a mystery.

Some thought he was a crazy lunatic while some thought he was a vigilante. Crime rates would diminish wherever he went. It became obvious that running into him was no coincidence. Once a pirate was under his radar, they had no chance of escape or hiding. The assassin would track them and fly across vast distances be it land or sea just to deliver the killing blow. He had a tendency to target only the pirate captains, leaving countless of crews to be disbanded after losing their leaders. From time to time, the captain may be turned in for cash, so some speculated that the assassin was a bounty hunter.

In truth, Pluto did not have a goal and was not fighting for a cause. He did not view himself as a hero, just a wandering soul looking for ways to numb his heart. He wanted to feel cold and merciless and unfeeling, just like the good old days. He knew it was foolish to develop bonds with others. Everyone he knew -and even loved- was killed because of him. He once dared to think that if he was just strong enough, he could simply protect the ones precious to him. How naïve he was. Not only did he fail, but he couldn't even protect himself and almost died. Living for himself, fighting for himself was his first principle that he lived by, putting his own life above anyone else's. That was what maximized his chance of survival. If even for a split second that he cared about someone else over his own life -as he did with his little sister-, then he would be endangering his life. Yet, he felt hollow. All this strength that he possessed, and he had nothing to protect. No one to care for. Never had he felt so lonely in his life.

Ironically, he viewed life as precious. Every single grain of knowledge, wisdom, skills, accomplishments, and memories built up over the course of a lifetime would all vanish. It was a waste. That was why he selfishly valued his own life over anyone else's. Everything that made him formed the identity and essence that he instinctively wish to protect. All of the knowledge he gained from eavesdropping, all of the skills he gained from fighting and reconnaissance, all the memories he accumulated, no matter how hellish life can get, nothing was worse than death. Many associated death with the color of black, but they were wrong. Death did not have a color. Death was neither light nor darkness. Death was… nothingness… a void… the lack of existence. As disgusting and wretched as this world is, it was better than nothing.

Indeed, he was a hypocrite, a killer who's not willing to be killed. Hypocrisy implied unfairness, but the world, which runs on hypocrisy, wasn't fair. And, if the world was unfair, he had no intention in playing fair. Morals, for the most part, were artificial anyways. Morals must be taught, implying that they were not innately programmed since birth. They were nothing more than a mere set of rights and wrongs to serve an agenda. The marines fought to protect the innocent, yet they worked under slave owners. Soldiers were called heroes in a battlefield, yet people believed that murder is wrong. This entire world ran on hypocrisy; that was the norm.

Sitting crisscrossed on the rooftop at the tallest building on the island, Pluto held his eyes closed and interlocked his fingers with the tips of his thumbs forming a ring at the center. His arms rested on his legs; his spine upright and straightened. Slowly and gradually, he breathed with his nose. Meditating, he was cultivating his mental sharpness and tamed his bloodlust. This practice of calmness and stillness was what allowed him to hone in on a dormant sense that everyone had. This special sense was known as Haki. Very few even knew what it was, let alone knowing how to control it here in the Paradise of the Grand Line. Of the two main types of Haki, his specialty was Kenbunshoku Haki, the ability to sense the presence of others and predict their very next move.

"Who are you?" he uttered, sensing a presence standing behind him. No…, there were two of them. Opening his eyes, the hooded boy cladded in pale dark violet cocked his head around, catching a glimpse of two standing cloaked, hooded figures.

There was a large man with a giant head with purple lips, long eyelashes, and a blunt arrowhead-shape chin. Something about this oversized bobblehead didn't seem normal as he stood over twelve feet tall. He was draped in a dark cloak with a hood large enough for his massive head. "We are looking for someone by the name of Pluto, do you know him?" There was no hostility in his eccentric voice. He seemed to always have this teeth-baring grin on his face.

"… What business do you have with him?" the boy asked with a distant tone.

The large man widened his grin, "We would like to recruit him, of course."

"Not interested," the boy answered bluntly before standing up and turning around, hands hidden in his side pockets.

"Oh?" the clownish man lifted his head up. "You don't even want here us out?"

"Sorry, but I work alone," he stated firmly, clearly showing his lack of desire to affiliate himself with anyone. Working all by himself had proven to be the most successful route. There were no risks of betrayals and no one to weigh him down.

"I've heard that you're supposed to be dead after clashing with a CP9 agent. Your sister was killed on that day, right?" The man with giant head began poking into his past, clearly having done his homework on his background which should not have been an easy task.

"You…," Pluto sharpened his eyes with a death glare. The very mention of his sister brought a fiery rage in his piercing violet eyes. He didn't know who these people were, and he wasn't used to anyone digging information from his past. "Are you… with the World Government?" The people that came to mind would be intelligence agencies such as the Cipher Pol; albeit difficult, they were the most likely candidates to have the capabilities to track him down.

"No, far from it. I doubt they would want to recruit someone like you."

 _Does he know about that too?_

"Then… how do you know so much about me?"

"We're from the Revolutionary Army, and you've caught our attention, Pluto-boy. It's not often to encounter a child as talented as you. We think you have the potential to be a great asset for us. Well? Won't you reconsider?"

 _Revolutionary Army? I've heard about them…, but… they're awfully secretive. Even I don't know much about how they operate. An organization that directly opposes the World Government… Hmm…_

After a long pause, he rejected the invitation, "I don't intend to work for anybody. Sorry, but I'm not the type of person who fights for some grandiose cause. I only fight for myself."

"Hm? Aren't you quite the lone wolf. Too bad, you would have been very useful. In the past, people called you 'The Eavesdropper', right? It seems you know a lot about the world."

"So, do you want me for the information I've gained?"

"Well, that's certainly part of it. But from what you've accomplished, you'd also be a good asset to our military strength."

"An open invitation to join the Revolutionary Army, huh? And…, what will you do if I decline?"

"Nothing really, we won't force you to...," the revolutionary member was cut off as the hooded boy flashed in front of him in a blink of an eye. He was forced to cross both arms to fend of against a destructive force from a single fist.

"Wh-What a powerful punch!" He exclaimed in surprise. "I-I should be strong, but I'm gonna fall…," his top heavy body began to sway back from the incoming force. "… gonna fall… fall…, OR NOT!" Immediately, his crossed arms pushed back, repelling the boy away. "Heehaw!" He raised his arms into the air as if to celebrate his success.

Boots skid along the flat roof as the boy came to a full stop after being hurled back. His eyes scrutinized the revolutionary member, trying to gain insight into the man's abilities. However, he wasn't having any luck. For some reason, he couldn't tell what sort of a fighter this big headed bloke had.

 _Hmm… he's deceptively strong._

A pair of appendages sprouted from the boy's shoulder sockets before splaying out to reveal a dark leathery membrane in between a set of long, narrow, finger-like skeletal structure. Hands and feet turning pitch black, fingers and toes replaced with hook-like claws. Sensing that this eccentric bobblehead wasn't a pushover, he felt the need to transform into his hybrid state.

"A zoan-type, is it? Well then, let's see how well you'll handle this. DEATH…," he widened his left eye before squeezing it shut, "WINK!" A shockwave erupted as a pressure of wind shot forth.

"Aerial Crash!" Pluto quickly retaliated with a similar attack, a wall of air projected from the sudden flap of his wings. As the two wind-based techniques collided, they nullified each other's forces and dissipated into a gentle breeze. The usually composed boy was having trouble with hiding his surprise.

 _D-Did he… just attack with a wink!?_

"Hoo~ Not bad! Then… DEATH… WINK," the giant bobblehead effortlessly unleashed another projection of pressure wave from just a single wink of his eye.

"!" Silent and elusive, Pluto sidestepped off to the side as the blast of wind slipped past his flank.

"WINK!... WINK! …. WINK!" the opponent continued, turning his head side to side for his eyes to keep up with the rapid moving target.

Flashing across the rooftop, the zoan-user demonstrated his immense speed as he evaded each wave of assault blasting straight towards him. Strategically zigzagging towards his foe with every dash, the boy closed the gap of distance, ready to bring this fight into a close-range combat.

"Newkama Kenpo: 44 no Aesthe Ogi - Mudage Shori Ken," the man revealed his hot-pink gloves from his baggy sleeves before unleashing a rapid series of hand strikes lashed out at tremendous speed and power.

"Seimei Kikan: Suji Bushin," the muscles in the boy's body was altered into a state where fast-twitch fibers became more prominent. As a result, his arms vanished into a blur as they deflected each strike that rained down in a meticulous and controlled manner. Palms and forearms pressed against each strike, subtlety pushing it off to the side by just enough to miss its mark. His arms moved in a seamlessly, continuous motion like the blades of a blender, coiling and rotating.

"Eh!? You're pretty good!" Unlike before, the okama appeared genuinely impressed this time around. He leaped back to gain a bit of distance.

 _Tsk… His attacks are so stupid-looking that it's hard to take him seriously._

There was nothing conventional about the okama's techniques and movements, not a single category for it to fall under. This was entirely new for him. Lashing out with a sudden diagonal high kick, Pluto projected five parallel arcs of slicing air, "Phantom Claw!" It was an attack that he had now perfected to suit his own fighting style after mimicking Rob Lucci's Rankyaku.

"Rolling Aesthe," the giant-headed man with the purple afro began rolling across the ground, moving at unexpectedly high speeds despite how inefficient and weird his movements were. The zoan-user unleashed several cutting-based flying attacks through swipes of the claws on his hands, feet, and even the claw on his folded up wings.

 _Tch… he's such a huge target! Why am I missing!?_

"Shuriken Claw!" Pluto swiped his right arm downwards. Sharp claws grazing through the air, unleashing blades of air that each began spinning around its center like a two-bladed shuriken. Each one deviated from one another, spanning across a wide area.

"Hup!" The okama leaped up into the air as the all five spinning blades flew past beneath him. His large eyes widened as his opponent seemingly appeared right in front of him out of nowhere. Now that he was in midair, it was likely that the zoan-user believed that he had a momentary advantage. "Heh," he grinned as the thought of being underestimated. He swung out a kick to which the boy responded by blocking with his shin guards. He then lashed out with his serpent like arms, striking with the tips of his syringe-like nails. When pierced, hormones would be injected into the target. The very thought of turning this boy into a girl brought a mischievous look on his expression.

GRAB!

Both of his arms were suddenly grabbed by the wrist; intercepted in the middle of the execution.

"Eh!?" The man was perplexed, not by the fact that his strikes were stopped but by the fact that his opponent chose to place both of them at a stalemate. Being in midair, he expected his opponent to take advantage of it by going more on the offensive, but now both of them had each other's limbs in check.

The whistling of air soon encroached from behind. "Huh!?" His massive head turned around, catching sight of five spinning blades of air converging from behind. "Y-YOU!" Everything became clear. That attack from before, Shuriken Claw, was never intended to hit its mark. By the very nature of its attack, leaping into the air was the best way to avoid them, but the boy anticipated that. To think, that he had enough control to curve the trajectories of his projected attacks like a thrown boomerang or a frisbee. As of right now, this boy wasn't trying to exploit him being in the air; he was trying to immobilize him as his previous attack made a U-turn and was returning back to attack the man from behind.

"Too late." Pluto's gripping hands were dazzling out static electricity in the color of violet, conducting his bioelectricity straight into his opponent's limbs, paralyzing the man further and hindering any attempt of escape even more.

"DEATH WINK!" The man winked at the rooftop below them, generating a shockwave that blew both them skyward. He could have directed the attack straight at the boy, but that would also propel him backwards and launch him straight into the spinning blades of air from behind.

"What a crafty little boy…," said the revolutionary as he felt his heart pounding. That was a close call.

A cold voice sounded from above, "just as I predicted."

"EH!?" The man looked up, dumbfounded as he saw a demonic figure looming over him with his splayed out bat wings.

The zoan-user hovered in the air gracefully, contrasting his opponent who was now in the midst of falling off a tall building. "Cannon Fist!" A projected invisible punch struck the revolutionary at his torso with a powerful blunt force that hasten the man's plummet to crash into the cement street like a falling comet.

"Arugh…," Lying flat on his back with his tongue sticking out, the okama was given no time to rest as the assassin from above dove straight down with his wings folded in order to be more aerodynamic. Somersaulting away, he tumbled across the street at the boy stomped his foot into the ground, further expanding the deepened crater on the pavement.

"Aerial Crash!"

Without any time to rest, the okama was now confronted by a wall of air ready to bulldoze him away. "DEATH WINK!" He countered with his signature move.

"Stampede!"

Claws of the boy's feet clung onto the ground, anchoring him in place. With his wings fully expanded, his extra appendages suddenly vanished into a blur. Flapping his wings like that of a hummingbird, a series of waves of crushing air repeatedly battered the single man at front. It was a repeated, merciless barrage of 'Aerial Crash', one after another like the tides of the seas.

"Arugh!" Pushed and cornered against the stone wall, the officer of the Revolutionary Army was buffeted and sandwiched against the building. The wall behind him crumbled as the crushing winds continuously battered him further and further, hurling him through several walls.

A trail of debris and clouds of smoke lingered in the air. "Ugh…," a groan sounded from beneath a pile of rubble. A pink gloved hand pushed the weight off to the side as the man crawled out, heavily panting for air. "Haah… Haah… Haah… EH!?" To his disbelief, the boy was already standing a few meters in front of him, staring him down with those cold, heartless eyes.

"Is this the extent of your abilities? I don't work under weaklings."

"S-So Strong…," the man pounded the ground with his fist in frustration. "H-How could a child… be this strong…? I'm… losing against a kid…," he lowered his head closer towards the ground. "… losing… losing… OR NOT!" He raised his head with an intense gaze of energy. "HEEHAW!" He immediately kicked the zoan-user from the side, breaking through the boy's guard, and launching him across the room.

"…," Pluto tensed his brows as his back pressed against the crater casted on the stone wall behind him. To his surprise, his foe still had plenty of strength and energy to spare despite the series of chain attacks that he unleashed.

"You surprise me, Pluto-boy," the man sauntered across the room with his hood off his head. "You've greatly surpassed my expectations. And… if you don't want to work for weaklings, then I've great news for you," he grinned, brimming with sheer confidence.

"HELL WINK!" a massive wave of force exploded out, one far superior to an ordinary 'Death Wink'.

"GALAXY WINK!" following through with an even stronger attack, another surge of power erupted, one even stronger than 'Hell Wink'.

 **...**

"Phew!" Emporio Ivankov, Queen of the Kamabakka Kingdom, had returned back to his accomplice's side while carrying the motionless, limb boy with a single arm. "That took longer than I thought. He's pretty strong, Dragon."

An enigmatic man gazed with a rigid, stone-cold glare. "Hmm... Let's go. We're heading back to Baltigo."


	8. Chapter 8 - Outplayed

**Grand Line: Baltigo – The Revolutionary Army's General Headquarters**

Daytime, several long clouds hovered in the cerulean sky above. Dragon's ship had returned. It was a large wooden vessel with a sinuous, serpent body along the flanks, converging at the back and the front to form an upright tail and a mystical head with red eyes. The vessel had four white sails, and on the peak on each of the four masts was a small red triangular flag, representing the Revolutionary Army.

A vacant rocky island presented itself. The land was mostly flat with whitish-grey coloration, made up of entirely the same rock-based material, including the sculpted structures that resembled almost like ancient ruins, camouflaging in their surroundings.

A diverse set of members stood around by the shores, all of them watching the return of their leader. As various crewmates descended the ship, the completely new, unfamiliar face appeared as well, taking on the form of a young boy with short black hair and distinctive violet pupils.

Ever since his defeat by that giant bobblehead with that purple afro, Pluto had woken up during the voyage, taken away against his will. Even till this point, he questioned if this counted as being kidnapped. While no one had shown any hostility to him, he didn't feel particularly welcomed either. In fact, he felt like a prisoner, having to wear a special bracelet around his left wrist made of a special material known as Kairōseki. All Devil Fruit users had the universal weakness of being submerged into the seas, and this material carried the same wavelength as the ocean. In other words, this bracelet sealed his powers. Not only could he no longer transform, he was in a constant weakened state. It felt like his energy had been drained, and his strength had depleted.

This was his first time coming into physical contact with Kairōseki, and it was a rather unpleasant experience. The density of this material directly affects the intensity of him being weakened. For him to still be capable of walking entailed that this bracelet was more diluted than what it could have been; otherwise, he would be completely debilitated.

The purpose of sealing his powers was rather intuitive. First, he was brand new and could not be fully trusted, especially when he had vocally expressed his refusal to join the revolutionaries to begin with. Second, this was their secret hideout. With his Devil Fruit abilities, escape would be rather easy for someone who can fly off like a bird and allowing anyone to escape while knowing the location of their hideout posed a great risk to the revolutionaries. And, even if he didn't choose to escape, his bat ears could allow him to eavesdrop secretive and vital information from important meetings of the higher ups. As valuable as the boy was, his skills as a spy made him very dangerous. For the time being, they were interested in the secret that the boy already knows from his past experiences.

 _This is by far the most monotonous island that I have ever seen._

No roads, plants, or animals, everything was literally made of rocks. Oddly enough, there were quite a bit of human children being disciplined outside by a fishman. He had always wondered how the revolutionaries gathered their members without worrying about traitors; at least partly, they seemed to recruit children at a young age and train them to become useful. In a certain sense, he would fall under that category as well.

Unlike his first encounter with the revolutionaries, the people here didn't all wear those mysterious cloaks that hid their faces with hoods. Everyone here wore whatever they wanted, following no special attires or dress code. This all made sense considering this was practically their home.

For the entire day, Pluto had given everyone the silent treatment, unwilling to talk to anyone. He was shown to his room where he would have to share it with another child. Cooped up on his bed, he was in the fetus position, depressed.

Unlike the appearance from the outside, the interior walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of planks of wood. There were bunk beds for two people with a wooden ladder for one to climb up to the bed on top. There were desks, chairs, and drawers in the room as well. There was a stack of book sitting on one of the desks, likely belonging to whoever else lived here.

 _How did I… end up here?_

He was experiencing culture shock. Having lived his life primarily lurking in the shadows and hiding his appearance, he rarely interacted with people in general. He had always avoided crowds, living independently whenever possible. But now, he was about to be stuck in the same room as some annoying kid for who knows how long. There were too many people here. He just wanted to be left alone.

Everyone he knew closely was dead. He had long since abandoned the thought of having friends. Anyone who tried to be his friend would only end up killed one way or another. He had committed too many sins. It was best to isolate himself from everyone else, so that he wouldn't accidentally drag the innocent to their demise. This was his curse.

Later that evening, the door opened, and a little girl with long, glossy brown hair stepped inside. Her large, curious brown eyes spotted a soulless, gloomy boy sitting crisscrossed on the edge of the bottom bed. A small smile grew on her face as she strode towards him.

"Hello! My name is Chika. What's your name?" She introduced herself in a bubbly, friendly manner.

Despite the girl being a meter away, Pluto was completely out of it. His energy was sapped out by the bracelet on his wrist. He had no way to escape anymore, effectively a prisoner here. His lifeless eyes drifted off and dazed at a random spot on the ground with his head hung low.

 _What am I… doing with my life…?_

"Hmm…," the girl frowned ephemerally before taking notice the bracelet around his left wrist. "Isn't that Kairōseki? I see." She nodded to herself. "Then! How about we play a game? If I lose, I'll leave you alone for the evening."

Almost immediately, the boy lifted his head up, taking notice of her existence. The idea of being left alone did pique his interest, enough for his eyes to shift at her direction. He hated greetings.

Chika smiled whimsically, "But… if I win, you have to tell me your name."

The cost of losing was affordable, but he'd rather not tell her his name if possible. The fewer people that knew about him, the better. "What's the game?" He asked.

"Ah! You spoke! Yay!" She said exuberantly.

"Tch…," he tensed his brows, annoyed at seeing her triumphant face for getting him to talk.

The girl then stated the rule of the game, "If I can guess what type your Devil Fruit power is, then I win. If I guess it wrong, then I lose." It was as simple as that.

 _Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia, those were the three types of Devil Fruit powers. If it's just a blind guess, she has a 33% chance of guessing it correctly. However, the Logia-type is the rarest of the three, and the Paramecia-type is the most common of the three. Assuming that she knows this, her best shot would be to guess the Paramecia-type._

"Okay, I accept," he agreed. This simple game placed him at an advantage, and he didn't have to participate either.

"Yay! Then… let's see here…," the brunette leaned forward and scrutinized the boy in his entirety, scanning him up and down as if she was searching for any hints or clues.

The boy in the grey cloak looked off into the distance while waiting for her response. An arduous amount of time passed, leaving him awkwardly avoiding eye contact as he was being stared at the entire time. "H-Have you decided yet…?" Being stared at was more uncomfortable than he imagined.

"Hmm…, I have my answer. You're a Zoan-type," she said without hesitance.

His body froze stiff.

"Well? Did I get it right?" She asked eagerly.

"… Y-Yeah…," the boy glanced off in the other direction, not too thrilled at her lucky guess.

"Then, I win. Now, you have to tell me your name," she smiled.

"Pluto," he gave the shortest answer possible.

"Ooo~ Pluto, is it? That's an interesting name."

 _Darn…, I haven't gotten rid of her._

"Then, let's play another game. If I can guess what animal you can turn into, you'll have to do anything I say. What would you like to happen if I lose?"

"Huh?" He gazed at her with a perplexed expression. What she just proposed was a near impossible task for her. Even though she narrowed down to which type his power was, there were countless of possibilities; she had no way of winning this. "If you lose, then you have to leave me alone." He didn't have any grand ambitions; there wasn't much a mere girl could do for him anyways.

"Alright, deal! Then, the animal that you can turn into is…," she paused, creating a suspenseful silence. "… a bat!"

"EH!?" He gaped as all of his expectations of her impending loss shattered into a million pieces. The girl answered rather quickly this time around too as if she knew the answere the whole time.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" She burst out laughing at the shock on his face. "Did I get it right?"

"Y-You…," he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You knew about my powers from the start, didn't you?"

"Hmm…, did I?" She tilted her head and gazed upwards, clearly playing dumb.

"Tsk… great…, does everyone know about my powers then?" Most likely, there was some rumor spreading among the members of the revolutionaries. This girl probably picked up the rumor and decided to use it against him.

Chika shook her head, "Actually, no one told me anything about you."

"Then, how could you know?" He looked at her accusingly.

She gave a soft smile, "It's a secret."

The boy was clearly irked by her playful denial. For someone who was known to be a sponge of secrets, he didn't expect for a little girl to hold a secret that's presumably connected to him. To make matters worse, he wanted to know this secret of hers, but he didn't want to fall for any more of her traps.

"So! Are you joining the Revolutionary Army?" She asked with alacrity to welcome a new member.

"No way! I never said I'll join," he expressed openly.

"Eeeh? Why not?" She looked saddened.

"For starters, I'm practically a prisoner at this point," he raised up his left wrist which was cuffed by the grey bracelet. "I don't like working with others, and I don't like being used like a tool either."

"Hmm…, then what do you plan to do?" It didn't seem like there was much alternative for the boy's future. The newcomer was already at the main headquarter, and he had practically no chance of escape as long as his powers remained sealed.

"Simple. I'll just find a way to remove this cuff whether through finding a key or through lockpicking. Then, I'm out of here," he explained his intent on escaping. The key part to a successful escape was the removal of this bracelet. Once he obtained his powers back, he'd have a rather good chance of escaping from this place through flight.

"I see," she nodded sagaciously. "Then, I've decided what I'll make you do."

"Huh?" He blinked upon her statement.

"You lost, remember? You have to do one thing that I say. You'll keep your promise, won't you?" she spoke in a sweet tone, ending with a smile.

"… Tch…, yeah…," he reluctantly replied. His heart sunk, knowing that he had broken a special promise in the past. He didn't want to break any more promises.

"Then, your punishment is: you must join the Revolutionary Army."

"EH!?" He shot a glance of disbelief at her. Was she just trying to go against everything he desired?

 _S-Seriously? I thought she'd request something childish from me, but…_

"Now, I'll get to see you every day!" She clasped her palms together, concluding that the boy would be around forever now that he was forced to join them.

"That's why!?" He exclaimed with an irritated look.

"Yup!"

 _D-Damn you!_

In addition to his physical restraints of being stuck here, he now had a moral constraint in the form of a promise with this girl.


	9. Chapter 9 - The Key

Smooth light-grey walls and tiled ceilings. Several maps placed around the room. A man sat behind a desk; he had long, spiky pitch-black hair, a squarish jawline, and a red tattoo etched onto the left side of his face. He wore a dark-green cloak with its hood down. There was a large rectangular map hung up against the wall behind him. He had a stern, dutiful look on his face as he gazed at the young boy standing before him.

"Hmm…, why the sudden change of heart?" he uttered in a low-pitched voice that was unsuitably calm as it clashed against his menacing appearance. He looked as if he was either constantly serious or constantly trying to hide his wrath.

"… I lost a bet," Pluto held his eyes closed in shame.

 _This man was present when that afro-clown fought against me… I didn't realize he was this scary looking. Monkey D. Dragon… leader of the Revolutionary Army and… the world's most wanted criminal._

"What kind of bet? With who?" He asked quizzically.

"… I don't wanna talk about…," the fourteen-year old boy muttered. "I'll join you – The Revolutionary Army. After all…, I have a bone to pick with the World Government. I'll tell you everything I know. The marines, the pirates, the underworld, I'll tell you everything."

"Is it true with what I heard? Did you kill a Celestial Dragon?"

The incident brought back memories that he could label as neither good or bad. He didn't regret his actions, but he wasn't proud of his actions either. "Yeah…, it was three years ago. By the way, how did you manage to find me?" He changed the subject, but it was also a genuine inquiry that had left him pondering.

"We keep track of the movements of the Cipher Pol. That's how we first discovered your existence. After that, it took about a year to track you down. Finding you wasn't easy."

"I see. I have… one more question," he gazed off to the side, clearly hesitant to ask his next question. "On this island, how many people know about my Devil Fruit power?"

"Hm?" Dragon lifted his head up, finding the boy's question to be rather peculiar. "There should only be two. I haven't told anyone about you yet."

 _So, she wasn't lying. Then…, how did she know? It couldn't have been a coincidence._

"I see."

By the time his conversation with Dragon had ended, Pluto departed out the wooden door, immediately greeted by a cool stream of air. It was the middle of the night now. A creamy-white crescent moon illuminated the night with its dim lights. The sky was devoid of clouds, vacant much like the land that stretched ahead of him; just about everyone should be indoors right about now.

Closing the door shut, the boy ambled off, heading back towards his room. But just as he was about to lower his guard, his eyes immediately sharpened. After just a dozen strides away, he sensed that someone was nearby, tailing him from behind. This presence was very close by, approaching him slowly and furtively. He couldn't hear any footsteps; whoever it was, they were trying to be undetected.

He continued his pace and kept his eyes forward, but his mind was attentively monitoring the one creeping up from behind. It was quite unusual; five meters away, anyone would have at least tried to vocally call out to him at this point.

Three meters away.

Even now, he didn't sense any hostility or bloodlust; this only made him more anxious as it wasn't clear what their intentions were. This uncertainty made it difficult for him to act.

Two meters away.

His fingers twitched, desperately itching to ball up into fists. Any second now, his body was on full alert to retaliate. A variety of simulations ran through his head, anticipating various forms of ambush that could unfold under these circumstances.

One meter away.

"BOO!" abruptly, a cute-sounding chirp completely circumvented his expectations. The sound came from a brown-haired girl who's just subtly shorter than him. Her eyes blinked as the blade of a hand was just centimeters away from the side of her neck. She couldn't see it all, the sudden motion of the boy's swivel and the chopping movement of his arm. It all happened so fast. She was impressed.

"…," Pluto stared down at his potential threat with tensed brows and piercing eyes. But when the most innocent-looking face was staring back at him in response, his face melted into confusion. "Ch-Chika…?" He stuttered.

"Ah! You remembered my name!" she said sprightly. "Did I startle you?" The brunette tilted her head to the side, leaning into the boy's hand.

Quickly withdrawing his arm, Pluto took a half-step back. "Why are you here?" he blurted out the first question that came to mind.

"I wanted to see you," she answered earnestly. "So? Is it official yet? Are you part of the revolutionaries now?"

He reluctantly nodded.

"Hmm…," she grinned. "Then…, have you figured it out yet… about how I managed to guess your Devil Fruit power correctly?"

Tensing his face, he avoided eye contact, remaining silent.

"No luck, huh? Did you ask Dragon how many people in the revolutionaries know about your power?"

"…," he shifted his eyes in the opposite direction, clearly uncomfortable.

"I see…, so you **are** curious about me."

Gnashing his teeth, the boy strode off, each step hitting the ground harder than usual. Off to the side, the girl had briefly powerwalked up to his flank before matching his pace. She gazed at him; her lips quivering a bit before breaking into a suppressed giggle.

"Hey Pluto!"

"What?"

"Isn't the night sky beautiful?" she gesticulated towards the heavens, embracing the mystic vibe of the darkness that was glittered with twinkling white stars that seemed to surround the moon.

"Hm?" He traced along the line of her sight, gazing up towards the sky. For him, the scenery was nothing new, but the sheer vastness would always make him feel small. "I suppose."

"Pluto, you can fly, right?" Her eyes shifted to the side, watching for his response.

"Not at the moment…," he grumbled, raising his left wrist to remind her of his handicap.

Chika held her own wrist behind her back and leaned closer to him, "Well, once you get your powers back, will you be fly while carrying someone else?"

"Huh? Why are you asking that?"

"Because…, it's every kid's dream to be able to fly."

"Is it? … I can only carry someone light during flight." He had only carried one person before a few times. The extra weight would slow him down and demanded more energy from his wings.

"Then…, what about me? Am I light enough?" She asked curiously.

"Eh!?" He froze stiff. The image of carrying her in the night sky popped into his head, and immediately, he mentally ripped that image apart, removing it from his consciousness. Looking away, he quietly answered, "… p-probably."

"Hmm… I see!" Her tone was full of satisfaction.

…

The next morning….

Within a large auditorium with grey-brick walls and ascending rows of wooden seats and desks that stretched across the room in a semi-circle, the children were seated, listening to a class taught by Inazuma, a man with a rather flamboyant appearance. The left half of his body consisted of orange hair, an orange lens of his glasses, orange half of a coat, and a dark-orange boot while the right side of his body consisted of white hair, a white lens to his glasses, white half of a coat, and a white boot. He had a squarish jawline, speaking in a cold, logical, and emotionless tone of voice. Beside him was a large green chalkboard filled with equations and maps taped onto the surface.

Some of the children paid attention. Some were dozing off. Some were asleep.

Pluto was asleep. His arms flat on his desk, forming a makeshift pillow for his head to bury into.

"Hey, Pluto, are you awake?" Chika whispered from the side, seated to his immediate right.

 _Darn… it's her again… I'll just play dead._

"Hmm…, well, I guess you don't want this key to your bracelet then," the girl smiled deviously as she held up a small item in her hand.

"…," the boy sharply raised his head up, "EH!?" His eyes gazed to the side, spotting a silver key in the girl's hand. "T-That is…!?" He was dumbfounded. The bracelet around his left wrist had a small keyhole; the size and shape of the key in her hand could reasonably be the real key to his cuff.

 _Is that real!? Or… is that just a fake!?_

"It's real!" She informed, dangling the key in front of his violet eyes to entice him.

 _DID SHE JUST READ MY MIND!?_

"No way…," he was dubious of her claim. There was no way that the real key to remove the Kairōseki bracelet could be so conveniently a few feet away from him. "Why would you of all people have it?" He challenged her claim. There was no way that the higher ups would entrust such an item to a little girl like her. And, why would she purposely just reveal it to him out in the open like this? This had to be a trap. It was too obvious! it was most definitely a trap!

"I stole it," she answered quietly.

 _Yeah right… as if the key can be stolen by a little girl…_

"T-Then…," he held out an open palm facing upward, "G-Give it to me."

"Hm?" She tilted her head innocently. "Why would I do that?" She gave him a perplexed look.

"… Huh?" he blinked. Why would the girl bother to steal the key and show it to him only to then not give it to him?

"You're wearing that bracelet because you're too dangerous for even the higher ups to handle, right?"

"What? No… They just don't want me to fly off and escape."

 _S-Should I… take it from her by force? She's just an ordinary girl. It'll be like taking candy from a baby._

"Hmm? But, that's pretty dangerous. You know where our secret hideout is. If word gets out, that could be disastrous."

"But… I joined the Revolutionary Army, so I wouldn't betray them."

"Hmm… can I really trust you, though? You're pretty secretive and mysterious. No one really knows much about you, and you haven't been very open with me at all."

Pluto winced the more he heard her speak, each of her statement pushing him further and further up against a corner. How was he supposed to respond to that?

"Class dismissed," Inazuma announced. Almost immediately, the children rose up from their seats, ready to leave the room.

Chika then smirked as she rose up from her seat, "Well… I suppose I could you give you one chance."

"?" Pluto looked at her inquisitively.

"If you can take this key away from me within five minutes, you get to keep it. If you lose, then I'll hang on to it," she established yet another very simple game, and after a few seconds of letting him soak her words in, the brunette powerwalked away.

 _Five minutes? You underestimate me..._

Springing from his seat, Pluto bolted straight for the girl, and in response, Chika looked straight ahead and meandered away through the crowd of students.

 _Damn it! She purposely timed it right when the students are leaving!_

He may be fast, but with this many people obstructing his path and view, not only did he have to chase after her, he also had to find her in the midst out of all these swarming little rascals. Zigzagging with every stride, he weaved and slipped through the mob of children.

Once he bypassed the bottleneck at the doorway, the most concentrated point of population was behind him. Without pause, he dashed down the corridor, eyes rapidly scanning left and right in search for the brunette. The further he ran, the more spacious it became. Neighboring kids stared at the nimble boy rushing down the hallway.

"!" Immediately, his eyes pinpointed and zoomed in on a girl with long glossy brown hair. He outreached a hand, ready to grab her by the arm or shoulder until he noticed that she was nonchalantly ambling alongside with two other girls.

 _EH!?_

Immediately, he hit the brakes, decelerating as his boots slid across the floor. As the three girls turned around, Pluto retracted his arm while stumbling a few steps back. The two girls on the side gave him weird looks while the Chika, who stood at the center, was suppressing a snicker at the sight of him hesitating.

There was no doubt in his mind that this had to be part of Chika's plans as well. She was the one who set up the game but chose not to run away, counting on the assumption that Pluto wouldn't do anything to her when surrounded by this many eye gazing onto him.

It was at this point that Pluto encountered a weakness that even he had not realized: crowds. As someone who operated at night, lurking in the shadows and hiding from plain sight, he was not used to navigating through crowds of people. He would always avoid them. He was not used to being seen by so many pairs of eyes all at once; he was not used to being at the center of attention here. It all felt wrong.

He felt judged and self-conscious. His heart throbbed; his cheeks heating up. Something about this felt humiliating. But, he couldn't do anything right now other than continuing to walk at a regular pace behind these girls. He kept his distance while locking his sight onto his target.

 _D-Damn it… I can't do anything right now…_

Once Chika exited the building, she quickly waved to her two friends, "I need to go now, see ya!" The brunette then abruptly dashed off.

"Eh? Chika?" the two girls were perplexed at their hasty friend who just ran off with very little warning. Suddenly, a breeze blew straight between them, astonishing them both. They then saw the boy from before bolting forth at inhuman speeds, chasing down their friend. Neither of them knew what was going on at this point. Were they playing a game of tag?

 _Tch… Chika sure took her sweet time while inside, killing much of my time. But now…, if it's a contest of speed, I won't lose._

The brunette giggled as she looked behind her with a smirk on her face. "You acted exactly as I predicted, Pluto."

"Do you really think you can outrun me!?" He was vexed, being only five meters away from his target. But, his body suddenly grew sluggish. Soon, he came to a complete halt, hands pressed against his knees as he panted for air.

 _W-What!? I'm… out of breath already!?_

"He-he-he!" Another jaunty giggle erupted from the girl as she stopped at a safe distance from him. "I knew it! With the Kairōseki strapped onto you, you overestimated your stamina and strength."

"Haah… Haah… Haah…," he continued to wheeze as beads of sweat trickled down his face.

 _She challenged me to a physical contest… knowing that the Kairōseki would hinder me? Even a little girl… has more stamina than me!?_

With the silver key held in her hand, Chika raised the grand prize in front him, taunting him along with a devious smile of triumph. "Well now, Pluto…, I do believe that your five minutes are up. I guess I'll just hang on to this for now."

"Wait!" He staggered forth with shaky legs. "I'm not done yet!"

"Hmm? I don't mind if you chase me some more, but… are you sure about that?"

"!" His eyes soon shifted side to side, only now realizing that there were bystanders around with some already watching him. As much as he wanted the key, having others witness him chasing her down was not an imagery he wished to portray.

 _Damn you, Chika!_


	10. Chapter 10 - Sabo

Today marked his third day of being at Baltigo. Physically handicapped, he was in a perpetuated, weakened state. Every passing second felt like the right time to take a nap, yet every nap never seemed to rejuvenate him back to normal. The curse of the devil was constantly acting against him so long as this annoying bracelet was locked onto his wrist. Normally, he'd put in more effort into unlocking his power and escape as soon as possible, but the wits of the most underwhelming adversary yet had tricked him into joining this rebellious force. Even his will to escape had been robbed from him. He hated sharing a room with someone else. He despised being grouped together with all these orphans.

Sound asleep, the fourteen-year old boy slept at the bottom half of the bunk bed. He made a few personal arrangements such that a sheet of blanket walled around him like a curtain, creating a dark, isolating space as he sleeps on the mattress. Anyone in the room would be constantly guessing as to whether he was present or not. Even after all this time, he didn't even know what his roommate looked like; even in the same room, he had found a way to isolate himself from the others.

"Good morning, Pluto," a honey-sweet tone greeted him, words dripping straight into his ear.

"… Hm?" Groggily, the boy opened his eyelids halfway up, seeing Chika's face being inches away. "WAH!" He flinched.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" The brunette chuckled at his reaction as she stood by his bedside with one arm raising the curtain-like blanket that allowed a narrow span of light through.

"How'd you get in here!?" He said in a panicky tone, raising his arms up in defense.

"Your roommate let me in. He said that he wasn't sure if you were here or not," she responded calmly. Her eyes drifted around the bedframe, intrigued by the unique setup. It was as if the boy had his own little dark cave to dwell in.

"What are you doing here?" he asked grumpily as his sleep was interrupted.

Chika smiled brightly, speaking in an energetic tone, "I've come to wake you up! Wanna eat breakfast together?"

"No… I want to sleep."

"Eeeh? Haven't you slept enough already?"

"I'm tired."

"Hmm," the girl contemplated. "Then! How about I bring the food here? Then, you can eat without having to leave your bed."

 _Huh? That seems awfully nice of her. I am hungry, but I'm just too lazy to do anything about it. How odd…, was Chika always this nice? No…, this is too nice. It's a trap!_

"Hey, Pluto!" She called out to him eagerly before he could even respond. "What kind of food do you like to eat?"

"Uh…, I'm… not sure."

"Then, is there any kinds of food that you don't like?"

"I guess I don't like onions."

"Because they make you cry?"

"No! Because I don't like the taste!"

"Alright, I'll make sure I won't give you onions then. Wanna eat together?"

The boy sighed at her insistence. He weighed his options. If he says no, then the girl would likely continue to pester him. If he says yes, she would have to walk all the way to the cafeteria, wait in line, and walk all the way back here. In other words, if he wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible, accepting her offer would at least buy him enough time to continue his nap.

"S-Sure…," he acceded.

"Great!" Chika smiled blissfully. Bending down, she picked up two small box-shaped items that were wrapped up by a thin cloth tied up into a knot on top. "Here!" She outreached an arm, handing him one of the neatly-wrapped boxes. "This is for you!"

"HUH!?" The boy gaped in shock. "Y-You had food with you the whole time!?"

 _Damn…, I can't get rid of her then…_

In an instant, his plan was foiled. He never even considered the possibility of her preparing the food ahead of time. Just how far in advance did she think all of this through?

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Aren't you a bit too surprised?" the brunette giggled at his reaction.

Even if this was a trap, he felt strange. The very sight of a soft, gentle hand offering him something was foreign to him. He was not accustomed to receiving gifts. His heartbeat felt different as if it took on a different rhythm. Reaching out with his hand, he hesitated a bit, wondering if this was all just an illusion, but as soon as he touched the small, little box, his fingers clutched onto it, affirming him that it was real.

As he reeled the box in, his eyes gazed at the clean, vibrant fabric that wrapped around what felt like a flat, rectangular container. Undoing the simple knot on top, the four corners of the cloth unraveled, revealing a bento box. As he opened the lid, a wide array of colors emerged; there were divides in the box, categorizing them into regions. There were white rice balls with seaweed crafted onto it for form the eyes, ears, arms, and legs of little pandas. There were little, cutely sliced sandwiches with layers of different colors. There was seafood wrapped in a warm blanket of rice with special dipping sauce off to the side. There were all sorts of little details that brought the food almost to life.

He held a pair of chopsticks that were already provided and began to eat. Meanwhile, Chika had her own bento box; hers had a completely different design and arrangement. She, too, began to eat with a pair of wooden chopsticks in between in her fingers.

 _Strange… I don't recall the cafeteria serving food in these little boxes. The design of the food is also far more sophisticated and artistic than usual. Am I… missing something here?_

"Is something wrong?" The girl asked curiously.

"No…, it's just that…, the cafeteria food has really… improved."

"Hm? Do you like it?"

"Yes…," he paused for a moment to finish chewing. "It's delicious. Although given the amount of people they must serve, the food is almost unnecessarily artistic and colorful. This looks really time consuming to make; they really didn't have to go this far."

"Hmm~ Go on… What else do you think?" She leaned closer with a devilish smirk.

He was confused by her insistence to explain further. Was there something about the food that he was not noticing? "All of the ingredients taste extremely fresh and warm as if they were prepared just recently."

"Hmm~ What if I tell you that the food we're eating right now isn't served from the cafeteria?"

"Huh? It's not?" This left him perplexed. Where else would food come? There were no markets or vendors here on this vacant island.

"Do you know who made it?" She gave a warm smile.

"…," he looked at the contents of the bento box once more. This was clearly made with a lot of care and meticulous level of details.

 _It can't be…_

"Did you… make this?" He was beginning to catch on.

"Yes!" She confirmed.

"Why would you…"

"I wanted to thank you," she stated sincerely, looking him directly in the eyes.

"Huh? For what?" He had done nothing for her.

"For saving me."

"Huh…? W-What do you-" he was immediately cut off.

"By the way, Pluto, do you feel sleepy at all right now?"

"Hmm? Now that you mention it, I feel oddly awake…"

"Good! There were lots of special herbs and spices in your food that will keep you awake."

"EH!? THAT'S WHY!?"

"He-ha-ha-ha-ha! Now, you can't go back to sleep."

 _SO THAT WAS HER GOAL!?_

…

A horde of children were practicing special forms that originated from Fishman Karate, a martial art that the fishman race utilized. The kids took on low, wide stances for stability as their punched the air repeatedly with robotic, rigid movements.

From the sidelines, a tall fishman with pale-yellow skin and long grey hair and mustache oversaw the training of these younglings. He wore a brown coat, black pants, and grey sandals. With his arms crossed, he shouted, "Lower your center of gravity! There's no point in keeping those who can't fight with us!" His eyes shifted off to the side, and the sight of a slacking boy caught him off guard. Off to the side from the main group of trainees, a black-haired child was napping against a rock formation with hands behind his head; he wore a plain grey cloak which allowed him to blend into the surroundings more effectively.

"You there! What aren't you training?" Hack, the martial art instructor, strode over towards the lazy-looking boy.

The boy opened one eye halfway, gazing back at the elderly fishman with an unenthusiastic, lethargic expression. "Training? That's a waste of my energy," he exclaimed before closing his eye and readjusting his posture into a more comfortable position. Ever since Chika had toyed with him this morning through her various traps, he had been exhausted, yet due to her rigged breakfast, he couldn't fall back asleep. As his body rested, his mind was wide awake. Every time she saw that girl, he would feel different. It became harder to focus and think whenever she's around. He would always be more on guard around her in a very different sense than from a hostile enemy.

"I don't remember seeing your face before. Are you new here?"

"Correct."

"Do you think you can be of use to us without knowing how to fight?"

"Your style of fighting doesn't really suit me."

"Do you think that because you're not a fishman?"

"Well, that's certainly part of it. The other part is that I don't think learning Fishman Karate will make me any stronger. I already have my own way of fighting, and our styles do not mix well together."

"What do you mean?"

"If I were to compare our styles to weapons, then your style is like an iron bar while my style is like an iron ball attached to a chain."

"Then, why don't you show it to me, this fighting style of yours."

"How do you propose I go about doing that?"

"How many of these kids do you think you can take on?"

"All of them at once. They're only kids."

The fishman blinked at the hypocrisy of the boy's statement. Unless his eyes were deceiving him, he was talking to a kid right now.

…

Pluto stood with an upright posture, hands within his side pockets, eyes closed shut. He held a calm and quiet demeanor. There were about two dozen kids who stood before him; the remaining ones were bystanders. Several rushed at him at once. The sightless boy made very little movements, swaying ever so slightly as small fists passed by him.

Another boy tried to kick him, but with a seemingly gently press on his hip, he collapsed onto the ground. Another tried to punch him, but with a calculated deflection, he accidentally struck a neighboring orphan in the face. None of the kids could hit him; it truly did feel like they were fighting a phantom. There was no resistance against any of their assaults, yet they would repeatedly be rendered off balance or accidentally attack one another.

Standing idly by the fishman's flank was an adolescent boy with short, curly blond hair and large round eyes. He wore a large black top hat with blue goggles wrapped around. A black, long sleeved, collared trench coat draped around his lithe body; it was unbuttoned, revealing a blue undershirt. He wore a pair of light-grey pants and black boots. A long crowbar hung diagonally across his back, being his choice of weapon. "Oh!? So he can use Haki too? That's impressive given his age," he stated his opinion while watching the orphans ganging up on a single evasive boy.

"Sabo!" Hack jerked his head to the side, gazing at the blond youth in surprise, "You're back from your mission already?"

"Yeah, it was a piece of cake," the adolescent responded confidently as he adjusted his top hat.

"Sabo was recklessly acting on his own as always," a feminine tone intervened. A girl with short-orange hair stepped into the scene, wearing a purple, tight-fitting blouse, a dark red skirt, black stockings, and dark shoes.

"Koala…," the fishman identified the seventeen-year old girl.

With his pointer finger, Sabo directly gestured towards the person that piqued his interest, "Hey, Hack, who is this boy?"

"I don't know. He arrived just recently."

"Eh?" Sabo widened his eyes ephemerally before scrutinizing the kid who moved like a ghost. "Can I… try sparring with him?"

"HUH!?" Hack dropped his jaw at his suggestion.

"He looks even younger than you. Why do you want spar against him?" Koala rose a brow, perplexed. Her friend was the bold, reckless type who would always rush straight into a huge challenge. Even when Sabo first joined the revolutionaries, he would challenge top-tier figures such as Kuma or even Dragon himself; of course, each attempt involved getting defeated in just one hit. He was so talented at the time that even Hack had nothing left to teach him, and he was personally trained by Dragon himself to nurture his talents to its fullest.

…

"Go easy on him, Sabo!" Koala call out from a far distance.

 **Sabo (Sixteen-years old) versus Pluto (Fourteen-years old)**

Standing several strides away from his sparring partner, Sabo took one a stance; his fingers curled into claws, clustered into three groups: the index and middle finger, the ring finger and pinky, and the thumb. While an unusual shape for the human hands to take on, they resembled the claws of a dragon. "Ryusoken!" He coated his bare hands in pitch black, steeling them up into deadly weapons. Propelling himself forth from his hind leg, the blond fighter rushed straight towards his foe. With eyes of excitement for battle and a grin brimming out sheer confidence, he was just itching to test this newcomer out.

"Eh!?" Koala perked her head up in surprise. "He's going to use that on a kid?" She had thought this would be a casual sparring match, but Sabo was actually taking this rather seriously.

Idly standing in place, Pluto waited for his opponent to come to him. Darkness glazed over his right hand and forearm, shimmering under the light like black iron. Taking a half-step forward, he rotated his waist and coiled out his fist like a corkscrew.

Two hardened fists clashed. An explosive force erupted; a forceful wind expanded from the point of impact. Nearby orphans were knocked off their feet and tumbled away. Cries and screams of surprise sounded out.

A jagged streak of violet static crawled up Sabo's striking arm. "Huh!?" His eyes shifted to his arm which was momentarily paralyzed by what felt like electricity. He followed through with a second strike; his dragon claws stopping midway before reaching their target. His opponent intercepted the second strike, disrupting it with a two-finger jab towards his specific point at his bicep, hindering his arm from fully extending. In addition, there was a sting of electricity niggling him. It didn't hurt; but his power was effectively nullified.

 _Does he use pressure points!? And, what is this electricity running through me?_

His movements of his arms felt sluggish and awkward. He could sense that the effects would wear off in just a second, but even that short frame of time left himself open to be attacked.

 _He's going to punch with his right arm!_

The blond fighter could foresee his opponent's next move. He took a small leap back as his foe moved exactly as he anticipated. His adversary stood shorter than him and therefore had a shorter reach. Keeping his distance and staying out of reach would be an easy matter - or so he thought.

A sharp penetrative force struck him in the solar plexus. His torso concaved by an invisible blow.

 _Eh? I thought I dodged that! No…, he can project his attack through the air._

"You should have… dodged to the side…," Pluto uttered as his arms adjusted ever so slightly. Just now, he used Sniping Fist, a technique that projects his darting attack linearly through the air with pinpoint accuracy. He held a sideways stance; his hands aligned down his centerline. Hands clenched into vertical fists; elbows sunken. Knees bent; weight leaning towards the back. The shape of his fists was peculiar in that the second knuckle of the pointer finger was extruded, suggesting a method of concentrated his energy towards a single point.

"Heh…," Sabo grinned amusingly. "You're an interesting one." With a quick lunge, he closed the gap between them. Hardened hands ready to lash out.

Pluto sharpened his glare as he took notice a drastic boost in his opponent's level of intensity. The Ryusoken-user was striking out with far more speed and power than before. His movements were a lot savage and ferocious. His dragon-inspired claws were strong enough to crush bones and rip through defenses.

Retreating steps, the younger one zigzagged back as he wards off the onslaught of assaults with a combination of his palms and forearms. Ever since Chika enticed him with the key yesterday, Pluto had to come to terms with his physical handicap. With the Kairōseki limiting his strength and stamina, he learned that his body would not sustain in a drawn-out battle or any strenuous physical activity. Energy became more precious than ever before. He could not afford to waste any amount of it. Every move he makes must be carefully executed. Especially against a physically superior adversary, he must avoid a head to head clash. He must learn to be more efficient, using the least amount of motion to evade, deflect, and attack.

Throughout the duration of his barrage, Sabo was smiling confidently the entire time. It was rare to fight someone both so young and skilled. From the very start, he could tell that he was strong. No matter how many strikes he threw, he couldn't land a single direct blow. At first, it seemed almost coincidental or dumb luck for each of his attacks to just miss by a millimeter, but when this result was repeated dozens of times, even he had to admit that this was part of the boy's masterful, dexterous movements.

But, there was a glaring flaw with Pluto's speed-oriented approach. The only method he could use to outspeed his opponent was to increase the fast-twitch fibers in his body to generate bursts of speed and power. However, fast-twitch fibers fatigued faster than slow-twitch fibers. The difference could be compared to sprinting versus long-distance running. One was faster and carried more power but lacked endurance; the other had endurance but lacked power. That was the tradeoff.

"ARUGH!" Pluto's torso concaved as a blow struck him in the abdomen.

 _Tch…, I'm out of breath already?_

Sabo then swung out a kick, and for the first time, the elusive boy was forced to block with his arms. The collision hurled the newcomer across dozens of meters before his back crashed into a large rock formation. "… D-Did I went too far?" He gulped. That was almost too easy. After deflecting and avoiding a myriad of his strikes, his opponent's performance dropped like a rock. For someone with superhuman strength and speed, it was almost strange at how low the boy's stamina was.

"SABO!" A furious shout sounded from Koala as she growled at his friend, "What were you thinking!? He was just a kid!"

"Eh!?" Sabo shrunk back, feeling a bit guilty.

 _Strange…, for a moment, he could fight on par with my full strength. Why did he crash and burn so suddenly?_

"Ah…," Pluto stepped out of the rocky crater that his body left behind, "Well…, it's my loss. Your Busoshoku Haki and Kenbunshoku Haki are both superior to mine own. It's not like I stood a chance."

Sabo blinked. Somehow, this didn't feel like a real victory. "Yeah! But, you're certainly faster than me." Even with his ability to foresee his opponent's next move, it was thanks to Pluto's speed and reflexes that made up for the difference in their levels of Haki.

With a sigh of disappointment, Pluto stared at the bracelet on his left wrist. The fact that he couldn't even handle someone just slightly older than him was disheartening. If he had his real strength, he could have offered more resistance. Instead, he was forced to play defensive; otherwise, he'd have been overpowered.

"That was amazing, Pluto," a familiar voice called out to him from aside.

"!" He raised his head up, finding Chika standing by his side with her hands behind her back. "Chika…, that person named Sabo… what kind of person is he?"

"Hm?" The brunette tilted her head. "Sabo is… Dragon's righthand man."

"EH!?"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! You didn't know? Well…, maybe it's too early to say. But, Sabo has been training directly under Dragon. He's been getting stronger very quickly and has been rising through the ranks. It wouldn't surprise me if he soon becomes the Revolutionary Army's number two in command."

 _Hmm…, if I fought Sabo with my full strength, what would happen? I might still lose. For some reason…, when I see his face, I can't muster any hatred at him. I don't think I can bring myself to fight him seriously. He seems… earnest and kind._


	11. Chapter 11 - Taboo

**Three years ago – Pluto (Age 11)**

In a dark and dingy room, a lanky middle-aged man in a black suit had his back pressed up against the wall. His hair was well groomed and gelled. He had a sharp jawline and a handsome face. As a wealthy nobleman, he had clearly grown up in a luxurious and privileged upbringing in the upper class. But, his status meant nothing to those who lived outside of the laws. No amount of fame or reputation would help him against the anomalies.

"P-Please! I beg you! Spare me!" He shivered; teeth chattering from the suffocating bloodlust that lingered in the air like miasma. Two figures stood idly before him, one tall and one short, both facing him directly with a cold and calm demeanor. Their very presence alone triggered every cell in his body to scream out signals of danger.

"Alright," a tall man draped in a dark-grey cloak and hood spoke with a low tone. "I will do nothing to you." With a slight lift of his head, a pair of eyes of mystic violet gleamed from his shadowed face.

"T-Thank you," the cornered man cracked a forced, crooked smile.

"What for?" the cloaked man interrupted. "You'll die very soon anyways."

"H-Huh!?"

A hand gesticulated towards a small childlike figure to his flank, draped in the same kind of hooded cloak. "This is my son. He's only eleven-years old. He will be the one who takes your life. You have two choices: fight… or… flight."

"You're kidding," the man muttered. "He's… only eleven? And… you won't do anything? You'll just leave it up to your son?" He felt completely underestimated if a little child was all that's going to stand in his way, but he couldn't entirely trust if what the man said was true.

"You have my word," the father confirmed.

A maniacal laughter cackled from the noble as he quickly ran off along the wall, heading straight towards the door. This was a joke. Provided that the assassin kept his word, he could get out of here scot-free. There was no way that little boy could be of a threat to him. The biggest threat was obviously the boy's father.

As he turned his head around to monitor the two cloaked figures, his glance found the father still idly standing in the exact same spot, but the boy was nowhere to be seen! As his eyes returned forward, his heart skipped a beat; his feet stomped the ground to instantly halt in place. He had a visage of utter disbelief; that little boy was standing right in front of him. But, that should be impossible as he last saw him standing beside the father. How could this little rascal already be in front of him!?

Slowly, the child lifted his head up, revealing a pair of cold, detached eyes of violet. "So slow…," he spoke in an emotionless tone as he lifted his left hand, revealing what was resting on its palm.

"What!?" The nobleman's expression shifted to a look of pure horror as he saw a black hand with claws holding what appeared to be a literal heart.

"Do you not realize that you're already dead?" After saying those unsympathetic words, the youth clenched his demonic hand into a fist, crushing the fleshy organ into crimson slush that splattered across the floor and showered the nobleman in his own blood.

The last image that the nobleman saw was a gaping hole in his chest, and immediately afterwards, his corpse collapsed onto its back, motionlessly lying there as a pool of blood spread.

"That was a bit overkill, Pluto. You must've really hated that man."

"Even though he grew up wealthy and got everything he wanted, he blackmailed and manipulated those around him. He kidnapped, tortured, and murdered just for the thrill of it. Even though the marines are present on this island, he has bribed them with money. Those corrupted marines just turn a blind eye on him, letting this piece of trash do whatever he wants."

"You sure know a lot about him, don't you?"

"…," the boy took off his hood, revealing a pair of large triangular grey ears on the top of his head. "Every night…, I hear… muffled screams. I hear blood gushing out. I hear crying. The marines don't do anything; all they care about is their public appearance, indoctrinating civilians into thinking that they're heroes."

"If you hate the sounds so much, why don't you just stop eavesdropping?" The father questioned. His son's powers were high-speed transformations at will.

"Just because I can't sense something doesn't mean it isn't there. Well… it's not like you care. You only showed up because you were hired to do so; you're motivated solely on money."

"Of course. I'm not going to risk my life if I'm not getting paid for it. We're assassins, Pluto, not heroes. You should always value your life above everyone else's; nothing is more precious than one's own life. Even if it means the sacrifice of others, you must do whatever it takes to survive."

"Yes…"

"After we wrap up our business here, let's head back to North Blue. There's something you need to know."

"What is it?"

"You have a younger sister."

"EH!?" This was news to him. His father wasn't the type to joke around either.

"Surprised? She's a year younger than you, living the life of an ordinary girl."

…

Later, Pluto stood on a rooftop all alone as he dazed off at the town below. The ball of orange light slowly drowned into the horizon, casting a gradient of red and blue across the sky. He couldn't help but try to picture what his sister looked like. As he closed his eyes, he could hear the voices, the music of mankind. At first, it may sound like just a jumble of noise, messy and chaotic, filled with overlapping voices, but as he focuses, he can zoom in on one sound at a time as everything else dampens into the background.

He heard a humming that seemed to originate from a small girl. It was a sweet, happy, mellow tune, sung by a gentle and pure voice. He could fall asleep to this sound as if it were a lullaby.

 _I like the sound of her voice._

Opening his eyes, he traced the sound towards its origin, spotting a little brown-haired girl who appeared to be about his age. She had large brown eyes; her smooth, glossy hair reaching her upper to middle back. She looked upbeat and energetic, the cheerful, optimistic type.

"!" His eyes sharpened as they glanced further up ahead from his high up view of the town. That girl was unknowingly heading towards a very dangerous zone right now.

Wheezing and grunting from a dry throat, a skinny shirtless man crawled across the paved street on his hands and knees. He wore nothing but a pair of black shorts. His head hung low towards the ground, beads of sweat trickling off his face. A long chain extended from the metal collar around his neck. He bared the weight of an overweight man who sat on a red cushiony chair on the slave's back. Seated on his throne, the slave owner wore a white jumpsuit with a transparent bubble around his head, isolating the very air that he breathed from the plebeians bowing before him on the side. He held the reigns to his sluggish slave; the chains linked to two additional women walked from behind. These young, nubile ladies wore vibrant silky dance attires, one wore pink and the other wore purple. Their wrists were cuffed in front of them; chains linked onto the cold, metal collars around their necks.

Four bodyguards resembling knights followed closely from behind, each cladded in the same identical suit of grey armor and holding a spear in their left hand. Their heads were completely encased with their pointed helmets.

Out from a narrow alleyway, a small girl stepped into the scene. Her jubilant expression suddenly shifted into curiosity and then seriousness. Civilians on this street were kneeling and bowing at the side of the road in acknowledgement of the World Noble passing by. Being the only one standing, she stood out.

"Hmm?" The overweight man sitting on the back of a slave shifted his glance at the outlier. Pulling on the reigns made of chain, his near-broken slave halted in place as the owner slipped off his seat, standing on his own two legs. "You there!" He called out while striding towards the little brunette. "You're pretty cute. I like you. Come with me," he said bluntly.

"Eh?" The girl widened her eyes, shrinking back in response. Only now did she truly understand just how dire her situation was. Despite the numerous bystanders around her, not even one of them would speak up and stand up for her. No one would save her. The Celestial Dragon had practically one of the highest forms of authority, essentially immune to the common laws. They had the freedom to do whatever they want. If they wanted to take a girl at first sight, they had all the power to do so, and no one would dare to go against their wishes.

 _No… I don't… want to… please… someone… save me…_

The rotund man pointed towards his prize while gazing towards his guards, "I want her! Take her away!"

Obediently, the group of armored and armed guards marched towards the youth who backed off a couple of steps. It was futile to resist. There was no hope for her. Once taken away, her freedom would be taken away. She would become a slave in chains. They could do anything to her and get away with it.

The girl stood by idly, frozen in fear. She saw a dark hand outstretched from above, reaching towards her, ready to snatch her.

Suddenly, the brunette found her legs swept off the ground as she began to fall back. Her eyes watched as she moved away from the guard's outreaching hand. Soon, she felt herself secured by someone else entirely. Her eyes saw the sky as she lied into the arms of a mysterious hooded boy with eyes of violet hue. With a rotating sweep of his extended leg, he unbalanced and caught the girl.

Black, leathery wings splayed out from her savior's body, and she found herself being carried into the air, taken away. Her time in the air lasted only a few seconds before she was let down onto a flat rooftop where she'd be safe for the time being. Without a single word muttered, the winged boy rocketed straight towards the Celestial Dragon without any hesitance; his eyes fueled with hatred and disgust.

The World Noble widened his eyes in shock, holding out his golden pistol and firing two rounds; both missed its mark as the aerial zigzagging bat-human evaded and closed the distance. "EEEK!" He flinched in terror, and immediately, five crimson gashes emerged across his torso. Blood splattered into the air. The man tumbled back, rolling and screaming in anguish as his arms covering up his torso.

"Kill him!" He shouted before a heavy boot stomped straight down onto his chest, pinning him against the cement as a shallow crater formed from where he laid. Air forcefully knocked out of his lungs along with blood and saliva. Several of his ribs were fractured. He could barely breathe at this point as his face was mixed with shock, rage, and fear.

Four guards surrounded the hooded boy, all of them thrusting their spears from four sides, but the tips of their polearms met nothing but thin air. The boy had jumped into the air as the four spears passed beneath him, and as he descended, his feet balanced on top of the intersection point of the shafts.

From the rooftop, the brunette watched in awe at the swift movements of the winged boy who moved with deadly precision and speed. It was like watching a magician. As the guards swung their shafts, the boy would vanish again, taking form of a little bat that hung upside down from their weapons. As the guards turned their helmeted heads side to side and searched for their missing target, the little assassin would ambush them from behind. As strikes were ineffective against armored opponents, he controlled their wrists and elbows, manipulating their balance like a puppet master. He dislocated and snapped some joints, rendering them all helplessly screaming on the floor.

Meanwhile, the World Noble had turned around and limped away for his life. But when his guards were down for the count, the boy would grab one of their spears and hurl it like a javelin, piercing the rotund man from the back.

It was on this day that a taboo had been made.

A boy with demonic wings and claws, cladded in a dark-grey cloak, face shadowed by a low-hanging hood, he killed a Celestial Dragon. And, the eleven-year old girl, who was saved by his actions, witnessed it all with mixed feelings. Both gratitude, awe, and fear stirred within her heart. The youth had never seen such cruelty, yet that cruelty was what saved her life. She only had a small peek, a short-lived glance at the boy's face, but she could never forget those deep, violet eyes. Those were eyes that were filled with experience and hardship, yet she couldn't help but wonder what sort of a life that boy had lived. In the eyes of all those who witnessed it, he was a demon who slayed a god. Without a doubt, this would trigger the marines to immediately respond. A mere boy killing a Celestial Dragon; this was unheard of. Even children would be taught at a very young age to honor the World Nobles; even pirates and criminals would never dare to commit such a taboo.

She wondered why he did it. For his grave sin, he will be abhorred by the entire world, hunted by the elites, and sentenced to death. He will carry a heavy burden on himself, but as all the blame and attention gets directed to him, the girl would be spared and ignored. That girl's name was Chika. She would never speak of this day to anyone; this was a memory she will never forget. Because of him, her freedom was preserved. Without him, she would have experienced a bleak, scarring, hopeless life worse than death itself.

…

Students were beginning to pour into the large auditorium, ready for another lecture by Inazuna. A myriad of disorderly footsteps swarmed in; jabbering little orphan kids echoing in the spacious room. Boys and girls began to take their seats along the curving benches, and even when all have gathered, there were still a number of openings left.

Chika stepped inside, wearing a white summer dress and sandals. Her eyes widened momentaily in surprise to find a certain someone early for class. She approached and smiled exuberantly, "Good morning, Pluto!" A part of her had worried that he'd skip class, but she was glad that he showed up again.

"Good morning, Chika," the newest member of the revolutionaries returned the greeting with a calm and mild expression.

 _Today is the day that I finally find out the truth._

The brunette loomed over him from the side, leaning a bit closer as if to study his demanor a bit closer. Immediately, she noticed him shrinking back and looking off to the side. She'd normally find him with a sleepy expression, constantly ready to take a nap, but today, she didn't notice any of that lethargy at all. "Let's have a contest," she proposed. "If you win, I'll give you the key." She then proceeded to take out the same silver key as before, revealing it in her hand and using it as bait to lure him into her game.

Pluto glanced at the key, knowing that there would come a time where thst silver item would be used on him again. The keeper of that key could not resist playing mind games on him. Truly, he desired his bracelet to be removed so that his former strength could be restored, but having learned from his past mistakes, he knew that being reckless and impatient with her would only be dancing in the palm of her hands. Chika was very intelligent and seemed to know how to plan several steps ahead. In order to outwit her, he needed a calm and composed mindset and analyze the situation carefully. Every word or action she speaks and makes could be part of some elaborative calculated scheme in the long run.

 _As I thought, every single day, she keeps proposing a contest or a game… and I keep losing to every single one of them. I'm getting tired of losing; today, I'll beat her._

"No thanks," he politely declined.

"Ehhh!? Why not?" Chika frowned with a saddened face. Her expression was like that of a kid who had just lost her beloved stuffed animal; it was enough to make the boy melt in guilt.

"For all I know, the key could be fake," he shrugged, unenthusiastic about playing a game where the prize could be fraudulent. However, despite his initial refusal, he knew that the girl wouldn't back off that easily. For too long, he had fallen for her traps; this time, he would be the one to predict her next move.

She extended an open palm, giving a warm smile, "Then, give me your left hand!"

"W-Why?" He asked cautiously, retracting his left hand defensively. Despite his acting, he anticipated this to happen. By showing relunctance, his opponent was forced to try and persuade him. Chika's only option now was to prove it to him that the key was real.

"Just do it," she urged him eagerly.

He hesitantly outstretched his left arm, and the girl gently grasped his wrist. A nervous expression grew on his face; his heartbeat taking on a faster beat. His eyes watched as the silver key was slowly inserted into his bracelet before being turned clockwise. A click sounded.

"IT'S REAL!?" He exclaimed incredulously, genuinely astonished by the authenticity of the key.

Chika immediately pulled the key out and closed the bracelet, locking it back around his wrist. "Ha-ha-ha-ha! See? I told you that it was real. You really need to trust me more."

Watching her snap the bracelet back into place shook him out of his shock.

 _I… I could have escaped in that split second._

"Now do you wanna have a contest? Remember, if you win, I'll give you the key."

The key was real; he now had proof that it was real. Still, he couldn't accept her offer that easily until he fully understood the rules. He had to weigh the pros and cons to figure out who had the advantage. "O-Okay…, what kind of contest?"

"A staring contest! First one to blink or look away loses."

Once again, it was another very simple game that could be easily understood. She never seemed to be the type to play games with complicated rules or strategies. He was formally an assassin who has stared down countless of dangerous criminals and ferocious monsters in the eyes without batting an eye. A staring context would be child's play for him. However, even with this calculated predication of victory, he shouldn't accept it right away. "And… what happens if you win?"

"If I win, then you'll have to do anything I say," she answered with a friendly smile.

"That's harsh…" If he lose, his fate would be uncertain. But, this was something he expected her to say.

"Come on. You don't even know what I'd have you do," she said with an easygoing, carefree tone.

 _You've literally made me join a massive criminal organization against my will…_

Noticing the boy's hesitance, Chika adjusted the rules, "Then, how about this: if you win, you get the key and I'll have to do anything that you say?"

 _Gotcha… I was waiting for you to say something to that effect._

"Alright, deal," he nodded.

"Hmm~…" Chika gazed at him suspiciously. "You accepted that pretty fast. Do you already have something in mind if I lose?" She then gave him sidelong glance, placing a hand over her mouth, "Is it something perverted?"

"NO!" He protested in an instant, clearly provoked to defend himself. "If you lose, then you must tell me what you meant by me saving you." Back when Chika made him a bento box full of food, she mentioned something about thanking him for saving her. Since then, he never knew what she meant by that.

"Oh! Is that all?" She tilted her head, making it sound like his desires were trivial.

 _Don't give me that! You've been dodging that question every time I bring it up!_

He had a sinking suspicion that figuring out the answer to that mystery would reveal other information as well. For instance, he still hadn't figured out how Chika managed to correctly guess his Devil Fruit type and power on the very first day he arrived on this island. She seemed to know something that he doesn't; he wanted to know what secrets she's hiding from him.

"Well, then," she seated to his right before leaning in towards his face, "Let's begin!" With her waist and head turned to the side, she gazed straight into pair of violet gems.

"!" Pluto tensed his brows, staring back at her with a serious and stern look. He had gazed into the eyes of countless of souls that were reaped away by his own tainted hands. He had seen countless events of atrocious acts done by mankind. All of his dark past experiences had numbed him to the most horrific scenes. So why? Why was it so hard to look her in the eyes!?

"Your eyes are pretty, Pluto." Chika commented nonchalantly. She could tell that her words niggled his concentration.

"Tch…," He clenched his fists as her compliment almost derailed him from the game. This was a lot harder than he imagined.

"Hmm…, you're lasting longer than I expected," she then slid closer towards the boy along the bench, leaning her face even closer.

"…," Pluto reflexively lurched back. He felt his cheeks heating up and his heart pounding loud and fast like a beating drum. He felt a sense of fear, but it wasn't life threatening - the kind that he was used to. This kind of fear felt different. He felt insecure and vulnerable even though he had no reason to feel that way.

 _W-What's happening to me?_

He had no trouble in keeping his eyes open, but he was having a very strong urge to look away. It was so painfully difficult to focus whenever she's present. It felt like his own intellect and reasoning skills plummets at her mere presence.

 _What's going on… I have literally slaughtered countless of lives with my very own hands without batting an eye. So why… am I struggling to look at her? She's not even the slightest bit intimidating. If anything, she's… kind of… c-cute…._

One of the students had just walked in; he paused and stood behind the two kids who were too busy gazing at each other's eyes to even take notice of him. Turning towards the boy, he interrupted, "Ah… you're that boy from before. You're Pluto, right?"

"…," Pluto ignored the kid, mustering every ounce of willpower to keep his eyes fixated at the girl's large, innocent brown eyes. At this point, it felt like he was staring straight into the sun, blinded by her bright smile.

"Do you like Chika?" The orphan from behind asked abruptly.

"HUH!?" He jerked his head to the side, angrily gazing at the boy who's been standing behind him.

Chika burst out laughing, "Looks like I win."

"EH!?" He turned his head back towards the front, realizing at what he had just done. He hung his head low in defeat.

 _I lost…_

Suppressing her giggles, she teased, "You always avoid eye contact with me, so I thought you'd struggle with this game."

 _Eh? Do I avoid eye contact that much with her?_

Although a simple game, Chika had long since taken notice of his tendency to look away from her, especially when she makes a remark such as how he seemingly could not handle a compliment. "Now, for your punishment…," she grinned.

He gulped, terrified at what she'd make him do next.

 _Oh dear…_


End file.
